Airport expected to function normally
As of last night we have been able to work under different conditions. Up until that point we had to assume that the airport might flood, which meant further isolating our students who needed to return to the Netherlands or those who had to travel on to Bali. Therefore we were working on rapid evacuation plans. Now that the news about the airport is positive we move into a different phase.
Stenden will assist students
Most of our students already have a ticket to fly to their next destination. In many cases these tickets are not changeable, thus causing the expense of buying another ticket. This can now be avoided by using the original ticket. In most cases this causes students to incur additional accommodation expenses and Stenden will assist students until the 10th of November with these expenses. The students have been informed individually of this.
No study delays
All students remain safe and are now urged not to go to Bangkok City, but to remain in their accommodation or seek alternative accommodation if they wish to do this to wait out the period until their planned departure. The students have already been informed of the work that is required to finish their modules and this method has been ratified by the appropriate examinations board. In effect this means that none of the GrandTour students in Thailand had to suffer a delay as a result of not being able to complete the module as originally planned.
Students at SRU and in Bali
We now turn our attention also to the local students who were enrolled in the International Hotel Management program at the campus in Thailand to see how we might progress their studies. We also need to now concern ourselves with finding a solution for the students who are located in Bali and were planning to study in Thailand. They have already been informed of the cancellation of the study period in Thailand and are considering the options for further study. Since there is no danger to their safety, we immediately turn to the academic progress issues to attempt to ensure no loss of study time for them as well.
Student belongings are safely tucked away
We continue to monitor the situation in Thailand and are ready at any moment to increase our intervention should this become necessary. We will assess the situation closer to the end of the practical period for those students in the South of Thailand as to whether they will complete their studies in Thailand (a 3 week period) or whether they need to be repatriated to the Netherlands. Much will depend on the state of the campus at that time. The belongings of our students remain safely stored at Sita Villa, even though the campus near by is presently under up to 3 metres of water.
Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones and those whose houses have been flooded. To our great regret both categories are represented amongst our staff in Thailand.