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Thailand protesters switch to all-out blockade of airports
Jack Lefley01.12.08
Protesters stepped up their siege of Bangkok's two main airports today as the authorities struggled to deal with an estimated 300,000 stranded travellers.
In a switch of tactics, the People's Alliance for Democracy told members who have been occupying the prime minister's office compound in the city centre for three months to join those at the airports.
Following the call, the number of people blockading the airports increased to 6,000.
About 30 empty planes left Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday and another 50 were expected to leave today after Thai authorities reached a deal with the protesters.
Some of the planes leaving Bangkok were scheduled to fly to protest-free airports elsewhere in the country to pick up stranded travellers who have been bussed there.
Other tourists are driving hundreds of miles to airports such as Chiang Mai in the north and Phuket in the south to leave the country. Triple Olympic gold medallist Chris Hoy, 32, and his girlfriend were among those who got a flight from Phuket.
Hoy's agent Ricky Cowan said the pair had been able to fly out of Thailand "avoiding the Bangkok airport altogether". It was reported the cyclist was able to organise a flight because of his long-standing links with global parcel delivery company DHL.
Members of PAD accuse the government of being a puppet of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. They occupied Suvarnabhumi international airport last Tuesday as part of a campaign to force prime minister Somchai Wongsawat from office.
The following day they seized Don Muang airport. Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell appeared to rule out using government-chartered flights, saying that they would not help people get home any quicker.
He told Radio 5 Live: "The key issue is that the two airports in Bangkok are closed and therefore you've effectively got planes stacking up and not being able to get slots."
The situation appeared to deteriorate over the weekend with reports of a series of explosions injuring dozens of protesters.
Thousands of red-clad supporters of the Thai government have gathered in Bangkok to oppose the PAD.
Kongrit Hiranyakit, head of the tourism council of Thailand, today estimated that in addition to the 300,000 travellers stranded in Thailand, 35,000 to 45,000 are being added to that number each day the airports remain closed.
