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BANGKOK: Anti-government protesters have allowed 37 empty airliners to leave Bangkok's besieged main airport after agreeing to a request by Thai authorities, officials said Monday.
A total of 88 aircraft had been stranded at Suvarnabhumi international airport since demonstrators stormed the terminal and forced it to close last Tuesday, an Airports of Thailand spokeswoman said.
"Thirty-seven aircraft have left Suvarnabhumi since the first aircraft of Siam GA (a regional airline) took off on Sunday evening," the spokeswoman said.
"International airlines will have to contact us to take those stranded aircraft out of Suvarnabhumi."
The spokeswoman said that of the original 88 planes, 29 belong to flag carrier Thai Airways, 16 to Thai AirAsia and 15 to private-run Bangkok Airways.
The remaining 28 aircraft are from various other airlines, 12 of them belonging to the airlines of foreign countries.
No passengers were however allowed to leave through Suvarnabhumi, officials said.
The People's Alliance for Democracy protest movement has refused to leave the airport, and the smaller Don Mueang domestic hub in Bangkok which it has occupied since Thursday, until the government resigns.
About 100,000 travellers have been stranded in Thailand by the protests, with the main exodus point so far being the Vietnam War-era U-Tapao naval base 190 kilometres (118 miles) southeast of Bangkok.
Acting national police chief General Prateep Tanprasert said the agreement to let the empty planes leave Suvarnabhumi was helpful, adding that negotiations with the demonstrators were "progressing."
"There are positive signs such as the releasing of planes and allowing Muslim pilgrims to leave. We may still have a positive end at this stage," Prateep said.
Hundreds of Muslims who were trapped at Suvarnabhumi for days as they headed for the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia were taken to U-Tapao by bus on Sunday.
Foreign passengers began checking in Monday at special desks set up by airlines at hotels in Bangkok and a major convention centre in the capital, as part of a bid to ease the backlog, officials said.
Travellers have also been flying from regional hubs including the southern tourist town of Phuket and the northern city of Chiang Mai, where Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat himself is stranded.
Australian airline Qantas on Monday sent an extra plane to Phuket to bring home hundreds of travellers, while Air France-KLM said it would operate a similar flight.
The French government said a heavy transport plane would fly from the U-Tapao base. Spain has also sent two military planes and a chartered aircraft, which are due to arrive there on Monday.
Police say they will continue to hold talks with the demonstrators but have also issued them with orders to leave under a state of emergency declared at the airports last week by Somchai.
- AFP/yb
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