Flights to and from Bangkok grounded, emergency possible
Posted: 26 November 2008 1235 hrs

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Thailand: Airlines have started to cut flights to and from Bangkok's international hub, Suvarnabhumi Airport, after anti-government protesters staged a blockade and chaos ruled inside the terminal, halting all flights.

Airport director Saereerat Prasutanont told AFP that 78 outbound and incoming flights are affected and 3,000 Thai Airways passengers are stranded at
the terminal.

Citing the deteriorating security situation and a lack of operational service staff at the airport, Singapore Airlines cancelled all flights to and from Bangkok from Wednesday.

Cathay Pacific Airways also issued a statement on Wednesday stating that its flights between Bangkok and Singapore, as well as Hong Kong, have been cancelled while others which transit in the Thai capital will be turned into direct links.

Regional carrier Tiger Airways cancelled all its scheduled flights and is offering affected passengers the options of a change of flight date, a change in destination or a full refund.

A spokesman said it expects flights to resume on Thursday, but advised travellers to check with the airline as it closely monitors the situation in Bangkok.

Suvarnabhumi Airport, a three-billion-dollar showpiece hub for travel throughout Southeast Asia, was closed down as guards from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest movement took control, later saying that it had completely controlled the airport and told airlines to apply directly to the group for landing rights.

Roads to the facility - a pet project of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra - have also been sealed off by thousands of anti-government protesters outside the Bangkok airport, vowing to wait for arrival of Prime Minister Somachai Wongsawat who was on an official trip to Peru.

The PAD - a loose coalition comprising royalists, Bangkok's old elite and the middle class - launched their campaign in May, accusing Somchai's government of being a corrupt puppet of his brother-in-law, former PM Thaksin, who was toppled in a 2006 coup and remains in exile to avoid corruption charges.

The seizure of the airport leaves the Thai government in a dilemma, and if it fails to act, Thailand's economy and tourism industry will be hit, risking the possibility of another military putsch to prevent further chaos.

There are already media reports in Thailand that a new state of emergency could be called when the Prime Minister returns.

"I cannot answer whether the government plans to declare a state of emergency or any other internal security act. It is under Prime Minister Somchai's consideration," government spokesman Nattawut Saikuar told AFP.

Thai officials, however, said the government has asked security forces for assistance and refused to rule out the possibility of emergency action.

According to Thai media, a PAD spokesman said the protesters would occupy and shut down the Suvanarbhumi International Airport until Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resigns.


AFP/CNA/sf