University of South Florida medical school dean Stephen Klasko is on his way home from Thailand after a delay due to antigovernment unrest that forced the closing of two Bangkok airports late last week.

Klasko had been attending a conference in Thailand with a group that included USF president Judy Genshaft and Rhea Law, chairwoman of the USF board of trustees. Genshaft and Law returned to Tampa on Saturday as scheduled, but left Thailand through the U-tapao military air base.

USF spokesman Michael Hoad said Monday that a surgeon from the medical school Klasko was visiting took a day off from work to arrange passage from Thailand to Malaysia.

“He sent me a message at 3:40 a.m. his time from Kualu Lumpur,” Hoad said. “It will take him 27 hours to get home from there.”

Other USF personnel still in Thailand are John Sinnott, associate dean for international affairs at USF’s College of Medicine, Lynette Menezies, and Charurut Somboonwit. The trio is scheduled to return to Tampa at the end the week.

“We don’t know what will happen between now and then,” Hoad said. “The airport could be up and running by the time they’re supposed to come back.”

Donna Winchester, Higher Education Reporter

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