British people should avoid all but essential travel to the whole of Thailand, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has warned.
The FCO has upgraded its advice from warning just against travel to Bangkok following ongoing political unrest in the Thai capital.
"We advise against all but essential travel to the whole of Thailand due to the increasingly volatile and tense political situation," the FCO said.
Changing its travel advice, the FCO said: "Violent incidents of an unpredictable nature are occurring in many parts of Thailand."
A substantial number of troops were deployed on the streets of Bangkok in the early hours of yesterday.
There were at least eight incidents over 24 hours in various parts of Thailand involving protestors setting up barricades, in some intsances leading to clashes with security forces, according to the FCO.
"In the last week, protests and violent incidents have taken place in other parts of Thailand including popular tourist destinations such as Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Ayuthaya and other locations."
Travellers in the country should consider whether it is essential to travel within Bangkok, the FCO added.
Around 812,000 British travellers visit Thailand each year.
by Phil Davies
