Members of the People’s Alliance for Democracy swarm a departure area at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, temporarily halting all outbound flights. The protesters are seeking the ouster of Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.(Photo: Sakchai Lalit / Associated Press)Hundreds seeking to oust the prime minister occupy the terminal, prompting officials to cancel all flights. Protest sympathizers and government supporters clash on the streets; 11 are injured.
November 25, 2008
By Paul Watson
Los Angeles Times (California, USA)
Reporting from Jakarta, Indonesia -- Hundreds of protesters seeking to topple Thailand's prime minister seized Bangkok's international airport terminal Tuesday, forcing cancellation of all flights.
Members and supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy stormed through police lines at Suvarnabhumi Airport and into the fourth-floor departure area, according to reports from Bangkok.
That forced officials to suspend outbound flights. Some arriving flights were rerouted to the northern city of Chiang Mai or the southern resort island of Phuket.
Images of angry tourists stranded in an airport terminal besieged by demonstrators were being broadcast around the world just as struggling resorts and hotels prepare for the peak vacation season. The multibillion-dollar tourism industry is a crucial component of the Thai economy.
Earlier Tuesday, Thai television showed video of alliance supporters firing pistols and slingshots at government supporters who had pelted the protesters with rocks as they rode in a truck from a demonstration at Don Muang airport, Bangkok's older and smaller airfield.
Eleven people were reported injured, most of them government supporters. One was listed in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat set up temporary offices at Don Muang after thousands of alliance supporters ringed the parliament building last month. Somchai escaped by climbing over a back fence.
The six-month standoff pits the alliance, drawn mainly from urban Thailand, against Somchai's more numerous rural backers. He is due to return today from a summit of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders in Peru.
"Anyone who wants to overthrow or resist the government is attempting a rebellion," Somchai told the Thai News Agency aboard his flight.
Somchai is the brother-in-law of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was forced from power by a bloodless military coup in 2006. The opposition regards Somchai as a puppet of Thaksin, a mobile-phone tycoon.
Last month, the Supreme Court found the former leader guilty of corruption for having violated conflict-of-interest rules in helping his wife buy land from a government agency at cut-rate prices.
The 2006 coup was sparked by widespread protests, and the People's Alliance for Democracy appears to hope it can provoke military intervention again. But military commanders repeatedly have said they will not step in.
Analysts have suggested the alliance is losing support from its main backers in business and among the middle class as they feel the impact of the worsening global economy.
The anti-government alliance launched what it called "the last battle" on Monday, but failed to bring 100,000 supporters into the streets as it had predicted. Police said one-tenth that number demonstrated outside Don Muang airport. Calls for a national strike have also gone largely unheeded.
"The PAD needs to increase the level of the demonstration and use nonviolent protest and close Suvarnabhumi Airport to send a final word" to Somchai and his government, the alliance said in a statement. It called on the prime minister to "resign immediately and without conditions."
Watson is a Times staff writer.
paul.watson@latimes.com
November 25, 2008
By Paul Watson
Los Angeles Times (California, USA)
Reporting from Jakarta, Indonesia -- Hundreds of protesters seeking to topple Thailand's prime minister seized Bangkok's international airport terminal Tuesday, forcing cancellation of all flights.
Members and supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy stormed through police lines at Suvarnabhumi Airport and into the fourth-floor departure area, according to reports from Bangkok.
That forced officials to suspend outbound flights. Some arriving flights were rerouted to the northern city of Chiang Mai or the southern resort island of Phuket.
Images of angry tourists stranded in an airport terminal besieged by demonstrators were being broadcast around the world just as struggling resorts and hotels prepare for the peak vacation season. The multibillion-dollar tourism industry is a crucial component of the Thai economy.
Earlier Tuesday, Thai television showed video of alliance supporters firing pistols and slingshots at government supporters who had pelted the protesters with rocks as they rode in a truck from a demonstration at Don Muang airport, Bangkok's older and smaller airfield.
Eleven people were reported injured, most of them government supporters. One was listed in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the chest.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat set up temporary offices at Don Muang after thousands of alliance supporters ringed the parliament building last month. Somchai escaped by climbing over a back fence.
The six-month standoff pits the alliance, drawn mainly from urban Thailand, against Somchai's more numerous rural backers. He is due to return today from a summit of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders in Peru.
"Anyone who wants to overthrow or resist the government is attempting a rebellion," Somchai told the Thai News Agency aboard his flight.
Somchai is the brother-in-law of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was forced from power by a bloodless military coup in 2006. The opposition regards Somchai as a puppet of Thaksin, a mobile-phone tycoon.
Last month, the Supreme Court found the former leader guilty of corruption for having violated conflict-of-interest rules in helping his wife buy land from a government agency at cut-rate prices.
The 2006 coup was sparked by widespread protests, and the People's Alliance for Democracy appears to hope it can provoke military intervention again. But military commanders repeatedly have said they will not step in.
Analysts have suggested the alliance is losing support from its main backers in business and among the middle class as they feel the impact of the worsening global economy.
The anti-government alliance launched what it called "the last battle" on Monday, but failed to bring 100,000 supporters into the streets as it had predicted. Police said one-tenth that number demonstrated outside Don Muang airport. Calls for a national strike have also gone largely unheeded.
"The PAD needs to increase the level of the demonstration and use nonviolent protest and close Suvarnabhumi Airport to send a final word" to Somchai and his government, the alliance said in a statement. It called on the prime minister to "resign immediately and without conditions."
Watson is a Times staff writer.
paul.watson@latimes.com
28 comments:
why most of ht protester, seen in the pisture, are women?
these people have mad dog disease. Tourist be careful, don't let them bite you or come into contact with their saliva. You may get infected by this madness and return it back to your nation. Best bet is to stay out of Thailand and just take your vacation season to Cambodia this year.
Wont you be happy to Thais fight each others? Come dear, it is a result they have commited to its neighboring countries especially Cambodia/ Preah Vhear.
Let them enjoy choas/ blast there!!!!
I only wish this would occur in Cambodia (perhaps one day).
Congratulation Thais and Tailand.
Thais start shooting each other like Sarah Palin shoot deer.
happy fighting you brainless thais...this is the curse back to haunt your evil king and nation.
IT IS TIME THAILAND SUFFERS THE SPLITING AND SEPERATION.
THAILAND WHICH WAS FORMED FROM THE STOLEN PARTS OF NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES WILL ONE DAY BREAK IN TO PIECES.
THE CURRENT TURMOIL IN THAILAND WILL CERTAINLY LEAD TO A POLITICAL CROSSROAD WHERE THE THAIS MAY CHOSE THEIR PATH TO MOVE ALONG TOWARDS:
1- ANTI-MONARCHY MOVEMENT
2- REPUBLICAN REGIME
3- SPLITING FROM THAILAND - DECLARATION OF AUTONOMOUS STATE OF MUSLIMS OR OF KHMERS
IT IS JUST AN IMAGINATION BUT MAY COME TRUE.
Khmer Cheayden
The curse on the Siamese robbers/invaders have become effective now.
Personally, I really don't want to see a neighbouring country in such a situation of chaos. Perhaps it's time for the lawful, elected government to do something to get rid of these lawless protesters who are behind the scene backed by the monarch. Use of violent methods is perhaps inevitable, if the government doesn't want such turmoil to persist. If possible, assassinate the King and some key military heads. That's cruel but will cure.
It's a lesson for the Siamese leaders that the sacred land of Khmer cannot be touched.
Long live Cambodia and Khmers!
Raja
The Thai did not rob anything. They just backup Khmer people who seek independent from the genocidal culture in Cambodia. There is nothing wrong with preparing a good future for your children and descendants.
Now it is Thai Rouge vs Thai Yellow hahaha I'm just sympathetic to those innocent tourists who got stuck at the airport.. What the hell does Thai politic has anything to do with them?
One tourist said (on CNN), "Hell, I will NEVER, NEVER come to Thailand again"
These tourists will spend their vocation in Cambodia in the next trip hahaha
Shame to Thais! the shameful race on earth!
4:09pm,
Don't you think it is now a good time for the Muslims and Khmer Thais to declare independence?
I say give the southern province back to Muslims, Those provinces belong to Khmers back to Khmer people, and the remaining be split among the yellow and the red Thais.
Peace will then happen in that land of smile [my ass!] ha ha ha
It must not be the last one PAD! Do more - I really like you and wanna go happy ending.
អាណិតអ្នកទេសចរណ៏វិញទេ។
Indeed, 80% of the protester are women 40+years old venting out their frustations of the husbands leaving them 10 years ago for younger women. Of course groups that can never achieve control of the country by democratic means manipulate these women giving them "support groups" and avenues to release their accumulated hate.
This incident would prove the world the democracy is strong. Somchai should be more patient and let supporters do the work. Now, you won the Army Chief. The monarchy would be able to do anything against you, but if he does, you will still win. You could be the first one in the world that prove that DEMOCRACY is even stronger than the royal power. So, stay calm, never quit!
1:45PM, not bad sum for last week, and pretty good start from this monday on. Till Noel, thing will come in bigger scale, a civil strife I guess.
The way of democracy is very tough, we need to take experiences of the past. This happen in all nations in this world. But you Thai people seem have learnt very few from history. Coup, coup and coup!!!
You are doing Pretty Job PAD
Cheer PAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let Burn down your fucking country stupid ass
I think the end of Thai monarchy is near.
When the king die, the SIAM country will declare Republic soon.
I am one of the PAD supporter and would like to paticipate in any events to come.
We will rule as a separate autonomy if the King refuse to accept the reality.
The Yala or the southern provinces want to be a Islamic State and the Issan mideast want to rejoin or will declare themself Republic of Khmer Issan. I don't to see Thai breaks into pieces.
Khmer/Thai.
This is inevitable! I smell war!!
Dang..my wishes came true! I've been praying for this to happen to Thailand so they can taste what Khmer had been through. They need to learn their lessons and respect Khmer people. They are being stupid themselves. They should have been our great neighbor to a poor country like us, but no, the idiots taking advantage of the Khmer people. Viva Cambodia and dead to the Thais. What comes around goes around my friend. And more to come soon. I can't wait for the Thai refugees to come seek our helps. I'll personally treat them really really really niceeeeeeeee...
This is a class warfare in Thailand today and boil into a political fight. Thai society has long widely-known as the socioeconomic-class divided clan (Khmers are not diferent from the Thais as well). Thai people in Bangkok and Central part of Thailand have been long history making a butt of joke toward people in North and Northeast of Thailand called (ISSAAN)as uneducated people, cheap, nothing but ricefields, or humble subservant second class Thai citizens. This sentiment has fueled rift between these two parts of Thailand.
Issaan seemed have changed since Thaksin was PM of Thailand. He provided and lifted up the quality of life of the region. But PAD an elite group with the Royal palace and some military support in Bangkok failed to replace what Thaksin had done but instead PAD choose to ignored and insulted the supporters of Thaksin. Then the problem has been engulfed in Thailand over three years now.
This time Issaaan people have made their strong voice to the military. "If they attempt to stage another coup, The North and Northeast farmers will step into Bangkok but not to offer them roses and flowers but to give bloodshed to the military", according to reliable sources.
Those Khmer in Thailand should take the opportunity when it comes.
Declare a state or autonomy as soon as you can.
Or call it Khmer Republic!
Khmer/Thai
Bravo !bravo! this is the entrance of the death THAI
11:48 PM
Agree. Look at Pattani and Yala, learn from them.
why they all wear yellows? and all females, too? go figure!
Tais people are crazy and also Tai king. Now Tais are in trouble.
yea good deed men...do it 1 more month and close all the airport in Thailand...
go go go to close financial market, stock exchange.
10 millions people in Bangcok. 50 millions plus on the country side. Whose'side is who? go figure.
These dumb Thias will soon learn the consequence of their actions.
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