Has Inside Thailand been affected by the tsunami, bird flu, or the southern separatist movement?
The short answer is no. The tsunami struck Thailand’s west coast, across the peninsula from the island Inside Thailand visits in the Gulf of Siam. The separatist unrest is confined to three predominately Mulsim provinces near Thailand’s border with Malaysia. The regions affected by the tsunami and the separatist unrest are both hundreds of miles from the nearest Inside Thailand destination. Outbreaks of avian influenza have occurred in several Thai provinces, but that disease does not pose a risk to humans who are not intimate with infected chickens, and there have never been any infected birds anywhere near our village in Uttaradit. For a detailed discourse on these important concerns please see Perspectives on the Tsunami, Bird Flu, and Pattani.
