Man demands help for seniors stuck in Thailand

Updated: Sat Nov. 29 2008 7:17:03 PM
An Orangeville, Ont. man says the Canadian government has done little to assist a group of elderly Canadian tourists leave Thailand, a country destabilized by political unrest.

"My father thinks Canada has abandoned them," Doug Kerr told CTV Newsnet on Saturday about Barbara and Doug Kerr.  They are part of a group of about 80 Canadian tourists, most of whom are from Ontario, who find themselves stuck in Thailand as a result of anti-government protesters who shut down the country's two main airports.

They are attempting to force the country's Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to resign.  Thai officials say they will do everything possible to avoid a violent showdown.

"The police were out there today, but when they went out there, I think they were outnumbered by the protesters and so they backed off," Barbara Kerr told CTV Toronto from Bangkok. "The prime minister won't even come south because he's afraid of his safety."

On Saturday, The Canadian Press reported that the tour group members met with Canadian diplomatic officials in Bangkok.  However John (Jiggs) McDonald of Orillia, Ont. -- who is a former NHL announcer and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame -- said the officials provided little hope of a quick exit.  "They have the feeling that we're not in any danger at this point, yet danger could be upon us very quickly," MacDonald said. "The fact they're not looking at getting it done...ahead of any serious clash, concerns us."

Another meeting was to take place Saturday to see if the group could be moved to another part of Thailand where the airports are open, he said.

McDonald said the situation was becoming stressful.  "Some people came with only enough medication to get through, two, three days of an extended trip ... now we're at that point," said the 70-year-old.

Kerr said his parents are both diabetic, but added people are running out of money and insurance as well. The seniors were on the last day of a 30-day trip when the unrest broke out.  "These people are seniors in a foreign country," he said. "They don't know who or where to turn to. Why has the government taken four days to initiate contact?"  All his parents want is to come home, Kerr said. "Let's just get them home ... This isn't an adventure for them."

Expo Cruises, the tour company, told CTV Toronto that they are working hard with the Canadian embassy to get the group out of Thailand.  A Foreign Affairs Canada spokesperson told CTV Toronto that the department doesn't believe there is any direct threat to foreigners.