IT HAS been five days and counting for Mr Leong Sow Hoe and his group of 49 other Singaporeans stranded in Bangkok.

The group from Bethesda Cathedral, heading home from Israel via Bangkok, were supposed to be in transit in the Thai airport.

But when thousands of Thai protesters descended on Suvarnabhumi Airport last Wednesday, the Singaporeans' plane could not land there; it was instead diverted to U-Tapao, an old military airstrip 140km from Bangkok.

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.