Travelers are seeking detours from planned stops in Bangkok and Thai Buddhists are praying for peace as violence in traditionally peaceful Thailand stirs ripples of unease in Hawaii.

East-West Center President Charles Morrison said the unrest has not affected any programs, which include study tours to Asia, but “;it is definitely affecting the economy in Thailand. People traveling are avoiding Bangkok.

“;An area of concern is how it now spreads to other areas of the country,”; said Morrison. While scholars are watching the political situation, “;Thai students here and their relatives are concerned about how it has affected their families. There's a terrible divide in Thailand ... which won't be resolved anytime soon and it won't be resolved by forceful actions by either side.

“;Where you would find the most impact here is among people in the business community who have something to sell in Thailand, or offer professional services in the tourism industry,”; Morrison said.

“;People are changing destinations, not canceling travel plans,”; said Kalena Yim, Seawind Tours and Travel chief operating officer.

Yim said Thailand is not so much a destination for groups as individual travelers.

“;People love to go there. It's simple and fairly inexpensive compared to other places.”;

Members of the Wat Dhammavihara temple in Waianae are “;praying for the end of violence,”; said Ala Hanesana, a Honolulu Community College student.

“;My mother, auntie and grandmother live in Bangkok, and my friends and I haven't talked to them since the government announced the curfew two days ago.”; Hanesana said he has been unable to get a cell phone connection.

Chaminade University professor Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel was dismayed to watch images of killing and burning by demonstrators and government forces in her homeland, where the vast majority of people are Buddhist.

“;This is a good example of what Buddhists try to avoid—greed, anger and delusion,”; she said. “;I was disappointed that the leaders of the sangha, the Buddhist community, didn't do more. They did a peace prayer one time, but they should have done more.”;

She and her husband, Leslie Sponsel, will travel to Thailand next month for a family memorial observance “;unless when we call next week, they tell us not to come.”;

She said there are differences of opinion within her family, and within the Thai community in Hawaii. “;You need to know it is more complicated than what you see in the media. It's not just about a class system.”;