Australia, Russia and Hong Kong have joined governments around the world in urging their citizens to avoid or reconsider travelling to the protest-hit Bangkok.
The warnings were issued as troops fired warning shots and tear gas in clashes with petrol bomb-hurling protesters in Bangkok, leaving 70 injured, although there were no reports of tourists being involved or hurt.
Under-pressure prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday issued a state of emergency in the capital, after a similar measure was imposed the day before in the popular resort city of Pattaya, 150 kilometres away.
"We urge Australians not in Bangkok to reconsider their need to travel to Bangkok,'' Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told reporters in Canberra as the security situation in the "Land of Smiles'' deteriorated.
"Those Australians who are in Bangkok, we urge them to stay within their homes or their hotels, to certainly avoid demonstrations and to certainly avoid large gatherings of people,'' Smith added.
Smith's warning echoed an official travel advisory issued Monday, the fourth time in three days that the Australian government's advice on Thailand has been revised in the face of a rapidly evolving crisis.
In Tokyo, the Japanese foreign ministry warned travellers to be on high alert and to stay away from government buildings and street rallies.
The ministry also recommended that Japanese travellers and residents refrain from wearing red or yellow T-shirts to avoid being mistaken for either anti- or pro-government protesters.
A particular feature of the unrest in the past year has been the strong allegiance to colours, with the current anti-government demonstrators wearing red, while last year their opponents adopted yellow as their signature colour.
After an Asian summit in Pattaya was cancelled because of the protests on Saturday, Moscow quickly moved to advise its nationals against travel to Bangkok. Thailand has become increasingly popular with Russians in recent years.
"Russia's foreign ministry recommends that Russian tourists refrain from visiting Bangkok as long as protests continue, and those who stay in the town of Pattaya not to leave their hotels if possible,'' a ministry statement said.
The Philippines, Malaysia and South Korea on Monday also told travellers to stay away from Bangkok or exercise extreme caution there.
And Hong Kong stepped up its travel advisory.
"(The government) strongly urged Hong Kong residents to avoid travelling to Thailand, particularly Bangkok, unless they have an urgent need to do so,'' a spokesman said in a statement.
"Those who are already there should pay close attention to the situation there and stay away from large crowds or protesters.''
Hong Kong's Travel Industry Council estimated there were around 8,000 visitors from Hong Kong currently in Thailand, many who had jetted there over the long Easter weekend holiday.
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