Thirty-eight foreign medical students and professionals were evacuated from their apartments in a risky zone of Bangkok yesterday.
The evacuation of the expatriates took place after they called for help, fearing confrontations between soldiers and anti-government protesters in their neighbourhood. The apartments they were evacuated from are in Soi Rangnam and Soi Rajvithi 5.
"Three ambulances were dispatched to help them," Dr Narumol Sawanpanyalert, from Rajvithi Hospital's Emergency Medical Service Centre, said.
Narumol said the ambulances left at 8.30am and returned at around 10am.
Of the 38 medical students and professionals, 15 were dermatology experts, 17 were master's and doctorate students at Mahidol University's Faculty of Public Heath, and six were students at the university's Faculty of Tropical Medicine. They hail from several Asian countries, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Burma.
"Some of them have not had anything to eat for two days," Narumol said.
She said the foreign medical students and professionals pleaded with other institutes, such as the Institute of Dermatology, which turned to Rajvithi Hospital to conduct the evacuation operation.
"It was very risky for the rescue team to get there. There was a banner there reading 'this is a live firing zone'," Narumol said, adding that her hospital had asked a company of troops stationed near the area to allow the ambulances through.
"A soldier advised us not to spend too much time in the area," she added.
Soi Rangnam was reportedly silent, with no sounds of gunfire. Nobody was seen walking on the streets, and all shops and restaurants, including convenience stores like 7-Eleven, were closed.
A medical student told Narumol that two days ago they could still get food from the cafeteria inside the apartment building to survive, but stalls had started closing up once skirmishes around the apartment building started to worsen.
When the ambulances arrived at the apartments, all the 38 medical students and professionals were fine though some said they felt disheartened. The ambulances delivered the affected individuals to safety at Mahidol University's Salaya Campus.
However, Narumol said some medical students and professionals chose to stay at home because they were not afraid of the situation.
KT mansion caretaker Jakrak, who spoke on condition that her surname was withheld, denied that there were any medical workers stranded in the building.
"It's not true. Many residents can go to work and return home every day," she said, adding that there were a few Filipino doctors who were panicking about recent developments.
The caretaker of Rangnam Apartment, Wan Sriwong, also insisted that the situation around her place was normal. "But Mahidol University is concerned about its students' safety, so they have been relocated," she said. "However, the students have said that they will return".