Travel Warnings: more countries warn of risks in Bangkok

There are five designated meeting places after which marches through the city will converge at a central point.

The authorities say that the marches are unauthorised.

The general feeling in Thailand is that the authorities will allow the marches to take place so long as they are orderly - and so long as no counter-action by opposing parties risks conflict.

However, after the massing of the five groups, the authorities will demand that the rally breaks up quickly. At that point, the powers under the Internal Security Act may be invoked.

Bangkok authorities are used to dealing with mass protests and they rarely turn into serious conflict. However, there have been elements - on both sides - that have acted outside the norms.

In recent weeks, warnings have been issued by the governments of China, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea and Sweden, France, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Austria, United States, Israel, Japan, Poland, Spain, Russia, Romania and Finland, The United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Iceland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. All consider the threat level to be between one and three on a scale of five. Today that list was joined by Hong Kong.

However, contrary to several misleading media reports, Australia has not issued a general "do not travel" warning for Thailand. Australia does warn "We strongly advise you not to travel at this time to the southern provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla or overland to and from the Malaysian border through these provinces due to high levels of ongoing violence in these regions, including terrorist attacks and bombings resulting in deaths and injuries on an almost daily basis." However, that is not, as the media reports imply, a new warning and Australians have been alerted to the risks in those states for some considerable time.