Singaporeans who were recently stranded in Bangkok because of the siege of the city's airports will not be left high and dry if they bought travel insurance with at least two companies.
Insurers AIG and NTUC Income said they will be compensating travel insurance policyholders who were stranded in Bangkok, even though the plans do not cover travel disruptions caused by riots.
The insurers are making an exception, though the claims are subject to certain terms and conditions.
According to various UK and Australian news reports, travellers from other countries who were stuck in the Thai capital are likely have their reimbursement claims rejected.
The reason: The Bangkok protests is seen as an example of civil unrest, which many insurers do not cover.
NTUC Income's senior vice-president and general manager of General Insurance Division, Mr Pui Phusangmook, said that usually its travel insurance does not provide cover for travel delay and trip cancellation caused by riots.
But he said NTUC Income will be making exceptions for policyholders who had their travel plans affected by the protests.
The decision comes as sweet relief for teacher Lim Wee Si.
When the 35-year-old was booking his Tiger Airways flight to Bangkok in late October, he paid an extra $10 for Tiger Full-Trip Purrtection travel insurance, provided by AIG.
He was scheduled to leave on 20 Nov and return five days later , but he later changed his departure date to 27 Nov.
On 25 Nov, anti-government protesters stormed Suvarnabhumi International Airport. As a result, along with other flights to Bangkok, Mr Lim's flight was cancelled.
On 28 Nov, Mr Lim claimed he called AIG and was told that he would not get any compensation for the extra costs he incurred as a result of the flight cancellation.
He said he and four friends who work in Bangkok had booked accommodation for two nights in Phetchaburi. Even though he could not travel to Bangkok, he still had to pay his share, which came up to more than $200.
Mr Lim said: 'The AIG staff said that due to the clause that the airport has been closed by the government, I cannot claim anything.'
He was also told to check the Tiger Airways website for the clause. He added that he was given the option of a refund or changing his flights to a later date by Tiger Airways. He has not decided what to do next.
He said: 'I asked them, 'What about those who have made half the trip and are trapped in Bangkok?'
'The staff said its claims department was looking into it.'
When contacted, an AIG spokesman said its policyholders would be compensated, subject to certain terms and conditions.
'The travel insurance policy that (Mr Lim) bought does not provide cover for flights cancelled due to 'civil commotion',' the spokesman said.
'However, on 27 Nov, as it became apparent that the situation in Bangkok was not improving, AIG was prepared to make an exception and decided to extend cover under this package for trip cancellation resulting from the said situation.'
The spokesman said AIG will contact Mr Lim to inform him.
This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 12, 2008.
