Taxi protest at Thailand's new Suwarnabhumi Airport and the new Thai government...

The latest news from Suwarnabhumi airport is of a taxi protest. If you take a taxi from the airport the deal is that you pay a surcharge of 50baht and then pay the meter fare for the taxi ride. The idea being to stop taxis from scamming newbie tourists and locals alike. In the old days at Don Muang it was common to get charged ridiculous fares above what they should have been.

The police have been trying to enforce this rule and have pulled a number of taxi drivers over who refuse to use the meter. Last night the police did just this. The taxi driver, feeling he'd been wronged, got his mates together and began a protest inside the airport. The crowd grew and it moved outside. One report says there were thousands of taxi drivers protesting which caused utter chaos at the airport and meant people arriving couldn't get away from the airport.

The taxi drivers are quoted as saying that they want justice from the police. Roughly translated this means they consider justice is the right to scam passengers. Hmmm, strange. Basically, if you are using a taxi to or from Suwarnabhumi airport then only get in once the driver has agreed to use the meter. No meter, no passenger. Simple. Alternatively there is a bus service and a limousine service. A limousine will cost 500-600baht from Suwarnabhumi to downtown Bangkok and they won't try to get a bonus for doing their job.

A new poll out shows that the new military installed government is gaining popularity. The poll shows an approval rating of just over 70%. Despite the nature of the government and the fact it goes completely against the idea of democracy I tend to agree, they do seem to be doing a good job. If they manage to achieve their own goals (fight corruption, improve governance, overhaul the justice system and accelerate political reforms) then they will probably go down as one of the best governments this country as had for quite a while. But what then? Should they stay or go? Who will replace them? Will there be a coup every time a government acts out of sorts with the wishes of wealthy Bangkokians? Time will tell.

It's going to be a long day. The daughter wandered in to our room during the night. This is normally the case at about 5.30am or later when she comes to wake us. However, this morning her clock was clearly out of sync and she began bouncing on the bed at 2am! She just couldn't understand why she was getting such a frosty reception.

Taxi protest at Thailand's new Suwarnabhumi Airport and the new Thai government...