First Thais leave Egypt as violence continues

The first batch of Thais airlifted out of crisis-torn Egypt will arrive at Don Mueang airport today, as more deaths were reported in Cairo yesterday.

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A Royal Thai Air Force C130 transport is readied for a flight to Dubai where it is scheduled to pick up some of the Thais being evacuated from Egypt. APICHIT JINAKUL

First Thais leave Egypt as violence continues

Bangkok Post, AFP

The first batch of Thais airlifted out of crisis-torn Egypt will arrive at Don Mueang airport Monday, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

Permanent secretary for foreign affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow Sunday announced the evacuation plan after meeting representatives from the Royal Thai Air Force, the Immigration Bureau, the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.

The Foreign Ministry set up a war room to monitor the unrest after upgrading its warning for Egypt to level 4, the highest alert level, on Saturday.

Mr Sihasak said 704 Thais in Egypt had informed the Foreign Affairs Ministry that they wanted to come home.

Mr Sihasak said 661 of them left Cairo for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sunday.

Of them, 344 took the first chartered Egypt Air flight at 10pm (Bangkok time), and 317 took the second chartered flight at 10.15pm. The remaining 43 would take commercial flights. Mr Sihasak said the evacuation was organised by the Royal Thai Embassy in Cairo.

Mr Sihasak said after the evacuees arrived at Dubai, 290 would travel to Bangkok on two chartered Boeing 737 flights, 325 will take a Thai Airways Boeing 747 flight, and 46 will take a Royal Thai Air Force C130 transport plane.

Egyptian APCs are seen stationed in front of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square on August 18, 2013 (AFP, Khaled Desouki)

Meanwhile, in Egypt, thirty-six Islamist prisoners were killed Sunday during an attempted jailbreak, bringing to almost 800 the toll in five days of violence since Egypt moved to crush supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.

The Egyptian interior ministry said the prisoners had taken an officer hostage and died after suffocating on tear gas.
"Thirty-six of the prisoners died of suffocation and crowding after tear gas was used to stop their escape," the ministry said.

The killings are the latest in five days of bloodshed sparked by a bloody police and military operation to clear Islamists from protest camps in Cairo.

The Islamists said they cancelled "several marches" on Sunday, citing fears of vigilantes and snipers, but that others would go ahead.

At a mosque in the Dokki neighbourhood of Cairo, where one march was scheduled to begin, residents stood guard.

"We are waiting for them. I swear we will kill them if they approach the mosque," one said.

In the evening, the interior ministry announced a ban on vigilantes who have formed self-styled "popular committees" and urged citizens to respect a nightly curfew.