Travelling experiences with armed soldiers and guards

[OATEK]

Reading the thread about first flights I was piqued by the contribution from wombatpatties and being herded by armed soldiers in Tehran many years ago:
What was your first flight?

I brought to mind my own experience at Dubai Airport around 1990. We were on a round the world ticket via Honolulu and Denver to Gatwick, and back via Dubai and Hong Kong.

On landing at Dubai were were required to disembark from our 747 down stairs onto the tarmac where we were surrounded by armed soldiers. We were then herded into buses (extra-wide) and taken to the terminal. It was Haj time, and terminal was full of sleeping pilgrims, and there were few spaces to sit. I was standing by the wall with wife and two daughters (6 + 10) when a local in flowing robes came towards us with armed guards either side. A fellow traveller decided it was a great photo op, and positioned his wife so he could pretend to photograph her while shooting past her at the robed arrival. Well, as soon as he stepped out and took the shot the armed guards stepped forward and raised their weapons, not just at him but of course those like us close by, swinging their guns from side to side looking for threats.

There was a lot of shouting and gesticulating with the guns, and I got my women folk to try and get down low in case the shooting started. The photographer, an Asian man, claimed not to understand what he had done wrong or to understand anything being said to him. Eventually more guards arrived, and I think they took away the camera (it was hard to see as a ruck had formed).

This still ranks in my mind as one of the scariest moments when travelling. Any similar stories about a time when it seemed ready to kick off, or actually did?

 

[Happy Dude]

I was surprised to see several heavily armed officers milling about C&I at BNE last week. I can't imagine a scenario there where machine guns would be needed, at least now that the mask mandate has been dropped.

 

[Peanutbladder]

I am sure many other frequent flyers have had this, but I had a personal security detail a couple of times in Pakistan (shotgun in the footwell of the car) and Nigeria where I had two policemen with AK-47s for the duration of the trip.

 

[Happy Dude]

I am sure many other frequent flyers have had this, but I had a personal security detail a couple of times in Pakistan (shotgun in the footwell of the car) and Nigeria where I had two policemen with AK-47s for the duration of the trip.

I travelled in Pakistan's NWFP extensively in 2001 in a rented jeep/driver and we regularly picked up local hitch hikers who carried the AK-47 knock-offs locally made in Darra Adam Khel. The only issue was shifting my then GF ("wife") into the front so she didn't have to sit next to them (or vv?).

We had to hire an armed guard for the day to visit the Khyber Pass too. Upon visiting DAK, I was scooped up by the local police within 30 secs of stepping of the mini bus and given a personal tour of the town, complete with cups of tea and offers of shooting some guns etc. Didn't take my camera purposefully, sadly, but it was the first thing they asked to see, followed by my passport. They wanted to know about Warnie mostly.

 

[BAM1748]

Getting off a plane and the airport was surrounded by army stopping the locals from boarding flights to get out following a coup d'tat. It had happened between take off and landing. (Peru)

Landing following a coup d'tat on an MD11 sent in to collect expats and trying to find the right people at the airport while others held back. (Laos)

And dear I say, pretty much any third world country especially those not of the democratic variety.

 

[VPS]

My first ever trip to Europe in 1982 we landed in Tel Aviv in the middle of the night and had to get off the plane and we were surrounded by armed soldiers and I was terrified but it was all good.

I caught a plane at Stansted on the 11th July 2005 just 4 days after the London bombings and there were so many police with sub machine guns which was very confronting and sad

 

[RooFlyer]

Flying from Johannesburg to London on a B747, with a stop in Kinshasa in the 1990s. Pax had to remain on board at Kinshasa, with stairs deployed to let new pax enter.

A couple of armed goons made their way up the stairs and attempted to enter the cabin, but were shooed away by very determined BA cabin crew ('hosties' as they were then). Hosties 1, goons 0

 

[drron]

Where do I start? We had a record of arriving in places during or just after a coup.
The first was the Thailand 1973 coup when we arrived on 15/10 73. Army everywhere. The day before they had killed over 100 demonstrators. Not only machine guns but tanks in the street. the King intervened and both sides backed down though the tanks were around a couple of days longer.

We were there again when the red shirts had taken over the Central world Plaza. Fortunately we had left when it turned really nasty. We were to visit Thailand a day after the yellow shirts took over BKK. They obviously hadn't consulted us as otherwise it probably would have been 2 days later!

!987 in Fiji. We arrived a week after both Sitiveni Rabuka's coups. After the first one he was staying in the room above ours at the Sheraton Denerau. Saw him a few times out of the room smoking. I thought it a bit funny. take over a country but obey a hotel's no smoking in the room suggestion.

After the second coup I wanted to revisit Raymond Burr's orchid garden so booked a tour. A taxi turns up as I am the only one brave enough to go out. Turned out the army had found a weapons cache near the orchid garden.
The driver was Indian. We came to a roadblock manned by several tall Fijians with machine guns. I asked the taxi driver if he was scared. No boss. Your white face is my pass to go through.

We were there again about 3 weeks after George Speight's coup. The PM Mr. Qarase was meeting the NZ and Australian High Commissioners over dinner at the Sheraton. it was a buffet. When I went up one of the Fijian PM's bodyguards was trying to serve himself whilst holding on to his Uzi tucked under his coat. I helped him and served him what he wanted. Later on the PM came over and thanked me. Will always remember his introduction - I am mr,Qarase,some people call me crazy but I am the Prime Minister. A lovely gentleman.

Another meeting with armed soldiers was in China in 1986. We were travelling Asia with our son and my MIL. Arriving in Beijing the Immigration lines were very long but I noticed an empty lane titled Group Tours. Well we were a little group so off we trotted and success. They didn't mind at all. One place we visited was Xian to see the Entombed Warriors -it wasn't as it is now and they were still excavating. We had our own minibus with a young guide. On the way back to town our bus was taken over by an Army patropl and we did a long detour. The major memory is the strong smells of smoke and garlic.

There have been a couple of other incidents but we no longer felt any fear.

 

[RooFlyer]

Memo to self. Don't travel with drron.

 

[Hvr]

We were to visit Thailand a day after the yellow shirts took over BKK. They obviously hadn't consulted us as otherwise it probably would have been 2 days later!

I actually flew into this one. It was on a HKG-BKK-AMM flight on RJ but was only flying the first leg. Looking back I believe that RJ staff knew something was happening before we took off.

As we were about to land at BKK an announcement was made there were six people disembarking at BKK and everyone else was to remain seated. I got off and went through immigration, didn't look much different. Customs was a total shambles but I didn't really see this at the time.

Amazingly, I had booked a room at the BKK Novatel and slept very well. Apparently thousands of people had spent the night sleeping on the floor at the airport or in the ballroom at the Novatel. This was because the taxis were prevented from leaving the airport.

It wasn't until the next morning that I actually realised what had happened at the airport. Spent a couple of nights there watching the police plan to storm the airport.

When it was gently suggested I relocate elsewhere I took the 'suggestion' very seriously and stayed in town until Qantas, in one of their finest hours, transported a couple of hundred people to HKT, put us on a Qantas plane and flew us to SIN to connect to a regular flight home.

This was happening at the same time as a terrorist attack in Mumbai, and Qantas was also evacuating hundred of people from there.

 

[Hvr]

Memo to self. Don't travel with drron.

Agree, but if you happen to be in the same location, do catch up with him and @mrs.dr.ron . They're good people and great company

 

[RooFlyer]

Agree, but if you happen to be in the same location, do catch up with him and @mrs.dr.ron . They're good people and great company

Oh, don't worry. I know the drrons pretty well

 

[djkelly69]

Memo to self. Don't travel with drron.

I don't know, it sounds like it would be pretty interesting!

 

[NickCorr]

Growing up in the UK, outside of terrorist incidents, LHR and LGW were the only places that you would see armed people... Mind you, no messing around with side arms, straight to sub machine guns... Wierd to see these coppers buying a sandwich from WHSmiths at the airport, with an MP5 strapped to their chest...

 

[Happy Dude]

A lot of you seem to be in places at the same time as a coup d'tat.

Not jumping to conclusions but you know how Superman and Clark Kent are never seen in the same place at the same time?

 

[bladeau1981]

I remember a few flights in mid to late 2020 domestically that had cops with guns and army personnel with guns also, was worse than immigration at times!

 

[Archipelago]

As some of you are already aware - I have been based in SE Asia for many years, and mostly in Myanmar since 1999.
After the last 10 years of the country looking like it was finally getting to be a mostly democratic nation - the army decided it wanted back in last year and we experienced the worst military coup of the past few decades on Feb 1st, 2021.

So daily life is once again barbed wire barricades on main roads, constant army and police patrols - and the airports are crawling with soldiers both inside and at the roadblock security checkpoints on the approach roads.
A commercial twin engine domestic airline ATR aircraft was shot at just last Friday, with the round going through the fuselage and injuring one on board.
Going back to when I was first here though - when Myanmar had been very much closed off to tourism for decades - when taking a domestic flight, it wasn't uncommon to sit delayed on the tarmac waiting for some VIP Army General taking their sweet time to rock up, or sit for hours and then have the flight cancelled when they didn't show
OR (and this was my favourite - NOT) was when you were all on board and ready to taxi - and then you'd go back to the stand and all have to disembark - why? Because the General had decided to commandeer your particular aircraft and use it to fly themselves and their entourage to some completely different destination

 

[stump]

I travelled in Pakistan's NWFP extensively in 2001 in a rented jeep/driver and we regularly picked up local hitch hikers who carried the AK-47 knock-offs locally made in Darra Adam Khel. The only issue was shifting my then GF ("wife") into the front so she didn't have to sit next to them (or vv?).

We had to hire an armed guard for the day to visit the Khyber Pass too. Upon visiting DAK, I was scooped up by the local police within 30 secs of stepping of the mini bus and given a personal tour of the town, complete with cups of tea and offers of shooting some guns etc. Didn't take my camera purposefully, sadly, but it was the first thing they asked to see, followed by my passport. They wanted to know about Warnie mostly.

I did the same in 1986 .Took local bus amazing Khyber Pass to Landi Kotal on Afghan border.Got some nice photos before being pick up by Kyber Agents and sent back to Peshawar this time on top of the bus.Went to Darra couple of times unfortunately second time with a tourist who didnt make it back...

 

[openseat]

Soldiers with machine guns are a constant presence in parts of Rome.

 

[VPS]

Just been in France - Lille and Strasbourg both had armed soldiers patrolling day and night with sub machine guns - usually in a group of at least 6