About the BTS...which is the station that's nearest Chatuchak market? Is it called 'Chatuchak station' or something like that? How long does it take to walk from the station to the market? I probably need to ask the locals when I ask for direction..."Chatuchak market?? Left? Right?"

As for the hotel...Baiyoke Boutique is really attractive to me. But I thought about toilet problems...what if I'm walking in the market and suddenly I need to go to the loo? I'm quite sure if there's any toilet there, it'll be filthy coz of the crowd. So I thought if I stay in a nearby hotel, I can go back to my room and then go out to continue shopping again.

Wow! The snacks look totally yummy! What is 'namplawan' sauce? I mean what's it made of? And what's 'MBK'? 

Anyway...which location should I look for hotels that are nearest to Siam Paragon or MBK area? Or which BTS station is nearest to these 2 places? The locations are confusing me...Silom? Sukhumvit? Rama IV? Pathumwan???     I wanna look for hotels but without knowing which location to start off with, it's quite difficult. I know we can get to anywhere with a BTS but there is a difference with distance and time.

Also, I might wanna visit some famous Thai temples. Any suggestion? Maybe 1 or 2 temples that are beautiful or has strong historical value? Photography-worthy?

Page last updated at 01:22 GMT, Monday, 13 April 2009 02:22 UK
Thailand's army has begun an operation to remove anti-government protesters blocking the centre of the capital Bangkok, sparking violent clashes.

Forty-nine people were injured as hundreds of soldiers advanced against the crowd at a major road junction close to the landmark Victory Monument.
Tear gas and bullets were fired as stones and petrol bombs were thrown.
As daylight broke, the city was still tense after what is the first serious clash in weeks of mass protests.
Monday's clashes took place several kilometres from the prime minister's office where the protesters have their main encampment.
Bangkok is tense with expectation this morning, the BBC's Alastair Leithead reports from another junction where troops have gathered in riot gear.
There are stand-offs across the city as troops face protesters armed with sticks who have been setting fires, he says.
The outcome of the confrontation depends very much on what tactics the troops employ, he adds.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva earlier declared a state of emergency after the protesters, who mostly back ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra, stopped a major Asian summit in Pattaya.
Mr Thaksin has called for a "revolution" against the government.
Witnesses told the Associated Press news agency that troops had advanced against the protesters at the the Din Daeng intersection between 0400 and 0500 (2100 and 2200 GMT Sunday).
"The soldiers fired hundreds of rounds from their M-16 automatic rifles as they advanced, though it was unclear whether they were firing at, or over, the protesters," the agency says.
An army spokesman, Col Sunsern Kaewkumnerd, said about 400 soldiers had moved against some 300 protesters.
He accused protesters of driving a car at the soldiers and said troops had first fired into the air in response to tear gas and smoke bombs thrown at them by protesters.
The soldiers then fired live rounds, he said.
"We will start with soft measures and proceed to harder ones," the army spokesman told AFP news agency.
"We will avoid loss of life as instructed by the government."

BANGKOK: Malaysians have been advised to consider cancelling any plans to visit Bangkok, in view of the escalating tension between the government and supporters of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The Malaysian Embassy here said they should stay away from the capital and five provinces which were under a state of emergency unless really necessary.
The advice comes as Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban announced that police and soldiers, deployed to more than 50 areas, have been given the go-ahead to use force to bring peace and normalcy to the capital.

An embassy official advised Malaysian tourists in Bangkok to exercise caution. The embassy, which is located in Sathorn Road, will set up a 24-hour operations room to monitor the situation and provide advice to Malaysians in Thailand.

The hotline number is +66-2-6296808. — Bernama

im worried normally the condition getting worst day by day 

Thai soldiers have opened fire on a crowd of anti-government protesters in the centre of the capital, Bangkok, who fled before the bullets.

A BBC correspondent witnessed the lunchtime attack which came after a night of tension as troops cleared demonstrators blocking a road junction.

Latest from Alastair Leithead on the streets of Bangkok

The military suddenly moved forward with a water cannon and a bus was set on fire. And then they suddenly charged, opening fire with live rounds in the direction of the protesters.

We watched carefully. Some were firing high, some were firing into the crowd. They scattered the red-shirted protesters down the street.

A bus was reversed into the military. The bus driver was injured as they opened fire. We don't know what condition he is in at the moment but the situation has suddenly gone very, very serious, very confrontational, and I would be surprised if people haven't been injured, such was the extent and the concentration of the fire and the angles at which the rifle were pointed.

MAS: No charge to reschedule Thailand flights

KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will be waiving charges for passengers who wish to change their flights from Kuala Lumpur to Thailand and vice versa from now until the end of the month.

“In view of the current situation in Thailand, particularly in Bangkok, we have decided to offer our customers the flexibility to make changes to their flights for free,” said MAS Senior General Manager Network Revenue Management Dr. Amin Khan in a statement released today.

“We believe this measure will greatly assist all our customers who have already planned their travel to Thailand.  It will also help our customers who want to get out of Thailand,” he said.

MAS advises customers to visit any MAS ticketing office or call 1800 88 3000 if they wish to reschedule their flights to Thailand.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians in Thailand are safe and have no problem leaving the country as the airport is open, said a Malaysian Embassy official in Bangkok.

“We have not received reports of Malaysians being stranded or hurt as a result of the upheaval in these last few days,” the official added.

As for the recently set up hotline, the officer said most of the calls made to the 24-hour line came from Malaysia.

“Many of the callers had plan- ned their vacations or business trips and wanted to know whether they should continue with their journey,” he said.

The officer said the standard advice given was for Malaysians to stay away from Thailand and only travel to the country under very necessary circumstances.

The embassy’s hotline number is +66 2629 6808.

political issue is nothing much there right now. and neither is the H1N1 flu in thailand. however the issue is....the World health organisation is declaring a pandemic. with the possibility that there might be closed borders.

Is electronic stuff, pc hardware, books, cd/dvd cheaper in BKK?