Trip suspended due to political strife

Unfortunately, over the past 48 hours, the political situation in Bangkok, Thailand has taken a turn for the worse. Protest leader Major General Khattiya Sawasdipol was shot and critically wounded by a sniper on Thursday in Bangkok.

While we remain confident in our ability to ensure the safety of our staff and students, we feel that the escalating violence in Bangkok and the recent pro-Government demonstrations in the Nimmanhemin area of Chiang Mai have created an unpredictable environment in Northern Thailand. We cannot be sure how conditions will progress in the coming weeks and months.

As of today, the Royal Thai Government has issued a state of emergency in many areas of Thailand, including Chiang Mai. In short, things may get worse before they are better. According to the US State Department, "U.S. citizens should defer all travel to Bangkok and defer all non-essential travel to the rest of Thailand."

With this in mind, we feel that the safest and wisest option is to cancel this summer’s trip to Chiang Mai. Loop Abroad is a dream come true for us. The 2010 trip has been years in the making and we and our students were looking forward to a great experience. We're disappointed, but we feel this is the safest option given the unpredictable nature of the situation. We have been in communication with our Thai staff, who all feel safe, and are looking forward to visiting Thailand once the political climate re-stabilizes.