Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Bangkok Lockdown Day 6

I jolted out of bed and couldn't get back to sleep this morning when my phone beeped with the following text message from our management:
"Urgent: Office closes till Friday. Please work from home and please do not enter to the office building. It's too dangerous now"
Hardly offering any peace of mind to be rather rudely awaken by that, after several nights of restless sleeps while the uncertainty loomed in the air. With an alert like that, it seemed inevitable that we have to get ready to be evacuated from our apartment building soon enough.

Actually, since we have been holed up at home for several days now, my management has been checking up on me on an almost daily basis. Only yesterday did they insist that they wanted us out of the area, and suggested evacuating us to a safer place, (which we initially thought was exaggerated and unnecessary), as their assessment on the situation looked quite grim. One thing for sure, my CEO was pretty adamant about it and arrangements were made immediately the moment I gave a go-ahead after a discussion with Silver Bullet. They had actually engaged a risk management company that specialises in evacuation, and  flew people out of Singapore to specifically rescue their staff out of danger zones. The beauty of working for a huge MNC, I tell you. :)

In the late morning, all packed  up with clothes, some essential documents and cats in tow, we were ready for "collection" by a  bunch of people emerging from a white van. It really sounded and felt exaggerated that we had to be escorted out...! But, we bit our tongue and followed their white vehicle as Silver Bullet drove closely behind their driver, while another burly guy escorted us in our car. There were also a hell lot more soldiers througout our sois. While they all smiled at us, somehow their eyes seemed to say that they meant business.

As we drove out of our area, we saw thick black smokes in the somewhat near distance. I could feel the knots in my stomach as I snapped the shot here as we drove into Soi 3, the Arab quarters.

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