KEY POINTS:
The Government is considering ways to get New Zealanders out of Bangkok if violence erupts in the Thai capital, Prime Minister John Key says.
"Clearly we're monitoring the situation and it's fair to say it's not improving," he said at his first post-cabinet press conference this bafte.
"It
makes sense to consider contingency options that we might want to invoke if violence erupts and escalates in Bangkok."
Internal political conflict in Thailand saw Suvarnabhumi International airport occupied by anti-government protesters on Tuesday and the smaller Don Muang domestic airport since Wednesday.
Thousands of travellers were unable to leave, and Mr Key said the latest estimate was that about 200 New Zealanders were stranded.
Mr Key said the Government and the New Zealand Embassy in Bangkok were doing everything possible to help them.
He confirmed options included the possibility of military flights and Air New Zealand charter flights, but at the moment the quickest way was getting people on Thai Airlines flights that were leaving Suvarnabhumi airport and flying to U-Tapao, a naval airbase about 150km east of Bangkok.
Mr Key said Thai Airlines put on a flight yesterday from U-Tapao to Sydney and about 20 New Zealanders were aboard it.
"We're working with our people and with Thai Airlines to secure seats on that flight which is going to run on a daily basis," he said.
"We anticipate that there would be more New Zealanders on that plane today and would continue to be in the future."
But Mr Key said there were problems because not all the New Zealanders had Thai Airlines tickets, and some of them did not want to come home because they had plans to visit other parts of the world.
He said embassy staff were taking those problems on board and were trying to streamline ticketing.
Mr Key said he understood from the embassy that the protesters had agreed to flights leaving for U-Tapao.
"They are not allowing them to go outside of Thailand but they are allowing there to be movements within Thailand," he said.
"That should give much greater capacity and gives us much greater heart that New Zealanders will be able to leave the country."
Earlier today Foreign Minister Murray McCully said talks were taking place with the Australian government about ways to rescue the stranded travellers.
"We're looking at working with anyone else in the same predicament," he said.
"Some progress is being made."
Mr McCully said New Zealanders were not at risk but without intervention it could take weeks to get home.
Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Olarn Chaipravat has said it could take a month to clear the backlog.
- NZPA
