Latest on Pope's 3 day visit to Bangkok - starting Wednesday, Nov. 20

[Gaybutton]

Thousands of police to be deployed for pope’s visit

November 16, 2019

Some 6,000 police officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau and Provincial Police Region 7 will be deployed to facilitate movement of traffic and provide security during Pope Francis’s three-day visit to Thailand. The pope arrives on November 20.

Assistant Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, Pol Lt-General Damrongsak Kittiprapat, on Friday urged people to avoid using Rama I, Phya Thai and Banthat Thong roads from 1pm to 8pm on November 21 as some 50,000 people were expected to welcome the pope.

“We would like to ask people to use public transport to enter the area, while the Metropolitan Police Bureau will announce alternative routes to avoid the area within next week,” he said.

“We have taken measures to provide security such as checkpoints to screen people who will attend the event, in addition to working with the security department to cope with serious incidents,” he said.

The Metropolitan Police Bureau will rehearse safety drills and announce the opening of the Security Centre to welcome the pope on Tuesday.

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30378407

[Jun]

1 I have every confidence that the influence of the Pope in Thailand will remain exactly where it should be -negligible to non-existent.

2 I suppose it's notable that the leader of the world's largest religion business is free to visit, despite very low market penetration in Thailand. We don't see him visiting certain other countries where his business has a low market share (e.g. Iran, Saudi Arabia).

[windwalker]

Currently there are approximately 388,000 Catholics in Thailand; the Pope's visit is most welcomed by the Catholic community.

[Gaybutton]

If the aim of a papal visit is to bring peace, I don't see a need for him to visit Bangkok. He needs to visit the south of Thailand and Hong Kong. Then, if a miracle happens in both locales and true lasting peace really results from his visit, now he would be eligible for sainthood. But I see no particular need for a peace mission where it is already peaceful.

[windwalker]

The Pope's visit to Thailand is at the invitation of the Royal Thai Government and the Bishops of Thailand. He has visited 50 nations in the world, including Muslim countries, so far in his pontificate .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_p ... pe_Francis

[puan]

I hope they do not forget to file his TM30.

[gera]

If the aim of a papal visit is to bring peace, I don't see a need for him to visit Bangkok. He needs to visit the south of Thailand and Hong Kong. Then, if a miracle happens in both locales and true lasting peace really results from his visit, now he would be eligible for sainthood. But I see no particular need for a peace mission where it is already peaceful.

It reminds me the situation during Vietnam war when CIA central station was located in Silom Bkk (and surprisingly not in say Laotian jungles).
Later they had a base in the former Marriott hotel near Royal Garden Plaza in Pattaya. One can argue that the choice was always to be close to the action but not necessarily military one.

[Undaunted]

I hope they do not forget to file his TM30.

Christ! I never thought of that.