Stranded UAE residents return from Thailand

Dubai: The first batch of Emiratis stranded in Thailand due to the political unrest there arrived in the UAE on Sunday on a flight especially arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Two hundred and sixteen passengers, including families, the sick and elderly, were the first Emiratis to be flown to the UAE after being caught up in airport closures in Thailand.

Since civilian airports were forced to suspend operations due to anti-government protests there, those fleeing Thailand had to fly out of a military airport east of the capital.

The protesters, led by the People's Alliance for Democracy, took control of Suvarnabhumi international airport on Tuesday, refusing to withdraw until the government resigns

Passengers spoke of long waits and nervousness about being stranded in a foreign country but were full of praise for the efforts of the UAE embassy in Bangkok.

Each of the 550 Emirati citizens that registered to be evacuated from Thialand was provided with three meals, accommodation close to the UAE embassy, and $500 to spend every day, said Saif Sultan Al Ariyan, undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Talal Al Nasr, a student from Abu Dhabi who was in Thailand for treatment, said he was put up in a five star hotel by the embassy in Bangkok.

"The country is not at war so we didn't force our citizens to leave. Those that chose to leave Thailand were provided for. Some decided to stay there," he said.

The cost of each flight is approximately $250,000, said Al Ariyan. Another two batches of UAE citizens are expected to arrive in the days to come.

Priority was given to the sick and elderly, followed by families, then individuals, he said. Sunday's flight consisted mostly of those who went to Thailand for treatment.

"We faced some difficulties, starting from finding planes to lease, to moving sick people and obtaining clearance from the authorities in Thailand to use the military airport, as well as obtaining last minute authorisation to fly over five different countries," Al Ariyan said.

He added that he believed the UAE was one of the first countries to evacuate its citizens.

Talib Al Hasni, an Abu Dhabi Police officer who was in Phuket for a work-related conference, said he got a call from the UAE embassy there asking him to go to Bangkok in order to leave the country. "We didn't even have to check in. It was all arranged for us," he said.

Shamsa Al Kubaisi, who was in Bangkok for medical treatment said: "I received a call from the embassy asking me to leave because the situation could get worse. We decided to go but had to wait at the military airport for ten hours, following which we were sent to a hotel for a night. We went back to the airport the next day and waited seven hours before departing. It was overcrowded and people were even sitting on the ground in the parking lot".

Emiratis in Mumbai 'are safe'

Emiratis in the two hotels that were under siege by terrorists in Mumbai are safe, said a foreign ministry official.

There was one family and four individuals in the Taj Mahal hotel and the Oberoi-Trident hotel in Mumbai when it was stormed by terrorists late last week, said Saif Sultan Al Ariyan, undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"All are accounted for and are safe," he said, adding that the UAE consulate had kept direct contact with the UAE citizens throughout the ordeal by telephone.

They were asked to stay put into their rooms, keep their doors locked and only open them when law enforcement authorities had arrived.