[Onthebarricades] THAILAND: PAD protests and counter-protests, November 2008

[global resistance roundup]

* Analysis: Thai crisis exposes class struggle
* Parents "giving up kids for cash" in protests
* Airport occupations hit Thai tourism industry
* Dec 1: Thousands of Redshirt counter-protesters gather
* Nov 30: Courts threaten airport protesters
* Nov 29: Protesters overrun police cordon, rout riot cops
* Nov 29: Protesters injured in grenade attack
* Nov 28: Airport protesters prepare for long stay
* Nov 27: PM sends cops after protesters
* Nov 26: Protesters shut down airports
* Nov 26: Chiang Mai - 1 killed in clash between PAD, Thaksin supporters
* Nov 24: protesters blockade parliament, postpone sitting
* Nov 25: protesters besiege PM's office
* Nov 25: protesters "retreat" from govt office
* Nov 24: protesters cut off parliament electricity
* Protesters "trying to provoke repression, coup" - analysts
* Nov 24: protesters leave camp for "final battle"
* Nov 24: protester dies from bomb blast injuries
* Nov 24: Redshirts to avoid parliament clash
* Paper calls for "break" from protests
* Nov 24: blasts near protest leader's office
* Nov 22: blast injures 8 as opponents attack protest
* Nov 17: govt calls for Govt House pullout, talks
* Nov 14: Redshirts target British embassy
* Nov 13: Protesters lift road blockade for royal cremation
* Nov 11: Two wounded in bomb blast
* Nov 9: Bomb blast at PAD HQ
* Nov 4: Thaksin supporters protest payment accusation
* Nov 2: Injury in clash at protest site
* Nov 2: Redshirts shut down Democrat party meeting
* Nov 3: Shooting near protest site
* Oct 31: Protest site hit in grenade attack
* Oct 30: Plastic hand clappers popular with protesters







http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7716033.stm

Saturday, 8 November 2008

Thai crisis exposes class struggle
By Jonathan Head
BBC News, Bangkok

For weeks the yellow-shirted protesters of the People's Alliance for 
Democracy (PAD) have hogged the limelight in Thailand.

Pro-government supporters are fighting back with their own rallies
With the backing of powerful military and palace figures, they have 
helped unseat one prime minister and two members of his cabinet.
The embattled government, led by allies of controversial former Prime 
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has in vain protested that it was popularly 
elected less than a year ago.
Now it has started fighting back with a series of mass rallies by its 
own red-shirted followers.
This is a dangerous contest between two power-hungry political factions 
who see it as a zero-sum game, in which they either win everything, or 
lose everything.
But it has become much more than that.
The rift has split Thai society, along regional and especially along 
class lines.
'Dress in red'
It is Monday morning, in a quiet backstreet in Udon Thani, provincial 
capital of a north-eastern province bordering Laos and a known Thaksin 
stronghold.
Radio DJ Kwanchai Sarakam is taking calls. He is a firebrand Thaksin 
loyalist who already faces criminal charges over his involvement in a 
clash with PAD supporters in July. But his callers are just as fired up.

If the PAD cannot convince me their version of democracy will help 
grass-roots people like me, then I will fight them to my last breath

Farmer Ankham Ratanasingha (left)
The first is an old lady, with a warning for the military. "Listen to 
me, soldiers," she shouts down a crackly phone line, "if you dare try 
another coup, forget about getting roses, because I will dress myself 
entirely in red - red hair, red panties, red bra, red fingernails - and 
jump in front of your tanks. You will have to run over me, a grass-roots 
woman, and crush me to death."
Other calls follow in a similar, if less melodramatic, vein.
The show finishes with a rousing song, scorning "educated people" for 
their ignorance and lack of manners.
Kwanchai threatens to bring a red-shirted army to Bangkok to declare war 
on the PAD. He says there will have to be bloodshed before Thailand can 
get through this crisis. He almost seems to relish the prospect. But the 
sense of being engaged in a class war is commonplace on both sides of 
this struggle.
Rich-poor divide
"You see these people here - they are all educated people," one man told 
me at a PAD gathering in Bangkok. "But the ones who support the 
government party, they are all uneducated, especially from the north and 
north-east."
This is a typical comment from the PAD, implying that the millions of 
rural people who consistently vote for pro-Thaksin politicians are 
either bribed or do not understand what they are doing.

Anti-government rallies have been held in Bangkok for weeks
It is the justification the PAD gives for demanding a parliament which 
is part-appointed.
Such an attitude infuriates Ankham Ratanasingha, who runs a small farm 
with her husband just outside Udon Thani.
She had to leave school at 10 years old, but takes pride in having 
educated her two children to university level.
"If the PAD cannot convince me that their version of democracy will help 
grass-roots people like me, then I will fight them to my last breath," 
she said. "They should treat us with respect, not as people they can 
just squash under their feet."
"The problem of Thai political crisis is a class struggle", says Attajak 
Satayanutak, an academic from Thaksin's home town Chiang Mai.
"We have a wide gap between rich and poor. The poor did not receive 
anything from the state for a long time. Then, for the first time, 
Thaksin gave this opportunity for them."
The affection for Thaksin Shinawatra has held up remarkably well in the 
north-east, a poor and arid region known as Isaan.
Local people say his populist policies, like universal healthcare and 
the village loan scheme, brought big improvements to the quality of 
their lives.
But time and again they cite something else - dignity. They told me he 
offered them the hope of improving themselves, without making them feel 
small, or humble.

If the military mounts another coup, this time the country will split, 
and there will be civil war

Thaksin supporter
His darker sides - abuses of power, human rights violations, arrogance - 
were brushed aside as less important.
Isaan has long been the butt of jokes in Thailand. It has a culture and 
language closer to that of neighbouring Laos than the central plains 
around Bangkok. It supplies much of the cheap, migrant labour to the 
capital.
But it has one valuable asset Thaksin Shinawatra identified as he began 
planning his bid for power in the late 1990s - voters, around one third 
of the total.
He was the first politician to court them directly, with appealing 
policies, rather than relying on the local godfathers to deliver their 
support.
In doing so, he has awoken a new political self-awareness in a 
previously passive region. And Isaan people are furious about the 
comments they are hearing from the PAD in Bangkok.
"Those who think Isaan people blindly follow Thaksin Shinawatra have an 
outdated image of our region," I was told by Puttakarn Panthong, a local 
politician who is not affiliated with Mr Thaksin's party. "They have 
better education now, and they understand who and what they are voting 
for."
Stuck in exile
So at the first of the big rallies in Bangkok, the former prime 
minister's phone-call, from somewhere overseas, was the most eagerly 
awaited moment of the night.

Politician Chaturon Chaiseng's song made the link with past class struggles
A huge roar went up from the 60,000 red-shirted faithful as his voice 
came over the speakers, asking: "Have you missed me?" There were more 
than a few tearful faces in the crowd.
But this was also a carefully-choreographed event, intended to send out 
a signal to the PAD and its royalist backers, that they face formidable 
opposition. The crowd was far larger than any the PAD has managed to 
attract this year.
Aside from Mr Thaksin, the highlight of the night was a song sung by 
Chaturon Chaiseng, one of the most respected politicians in the Thaksin 
camp.
He was also once a left-wing activist who took up arms against the 
military during the communist insurgency of the last 1970s.
And the song he chose was written by one of his comrades-in-arms, which 
tells of the sadness of a young rebel unable to return home.
The reference, or course, was to Mr Thaksin, stuck in exile, facing a 
two-year prison sentence if he comes back.
But it also connected his poor, rural followers today, with the class 
conflicts of Thailand's past.
Behind Mr Chaturon they held up the words "NO MORE COUP" in bold red 
letters. It seemed more of a warning than a plea.
One man turned to me and said: "If the military mounts another coup, 
this time the country will split, and there will be civil war."







http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=676153&rss=yes

Parents 'giving up kids for cash in Thai protests'
14:00 AEST Sun Nov 30 2008
125 days 14 hours 21 minutes ago
By Matt Bachl, ninemsn
VIEWS: 0
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Inga Vennell (right) says parents are giving up their children as 
protesters in Thailand for money.

Protesters in Thailand are luring children into their airport rally by 
paying mums and dads to give up their kids, according to an Australian 
trapped in the country.
Thousands of supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy have 
blocked Thailand's two main airports, preventing up to 10,000 tourists 
from leaving and sending businesses that operate within the terminals 
broke.
Inga Vennell, who was due to leave the country on Wednesday after a 
backpacking trip, told ninemsn shopkeepers, out-of-pocket tourists and 
children were being paid to join the rally.
"People who work at clothing stores, cafes and bars — and who don’t have 
any affiliation with the protesters — are getting paid about 100 Baht 
($AU4.30) to go in there.
"We're not sure who is paying them but they're saying its great; there's 
so much food and water.
"The protesters have made walls of barricades that are made with boxes 
of water wrapped in barbed wire."
Families who joined the "peaceful" demonstration with babies or children 
were getting paid more, Ms Vennell said.
"Many families are pushing their children to enter into the situation to 
provide more money for their families," she said.
The idea is that the military or police won't use as much force because 
children were still there, she said.
Ms Vennell said the more violent protesters — the "rebels" — were taking 
stimulants and pills to keep themselves awake, which was making them 
more agitated and angry.
"They've tied together airport trolleys and wrapped barbed wire around 
them — that's what the police are having trouble getting through," she 
said.
Demonstrators seized the Suvarnabhumi international airport on Tuesday 
night and the smaller Don Muang airport on Wednesday.
The alliance has accused the government of being a puppet of former 
prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in 2006 and fled 
overseas to escape corruption charges.
Thailand's current prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat, is Thaksin's 
brother-in-law.
Police overnight cordoned off the protesters, sparking fears a showdown 
is imminent.
The five-day protest inside the airport has so far been without violence 
but a grenade attack against protesters who have occupied the prime 
minister's office in Bangkok has wounded 46 people, emergency services 
said.
National Chief General Pateep Tanprasert said he was following the prime 
minister's orders to end the crisis "as soon as possible".
"My strategy is also based on non-violence," Chief General Pateep said.
"Currently, we are trying to open negotiations with protesters."






http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/262748

Thailand Tourism Suffers as Defiant Protesters Occupy Airports
By Leo Reyes.
Published Nov 28, 2008 by ■ Leo Reyes

This is about the forced closure of the major airports in Thailand by 
militant protesters that stranded thousands of foreign tourists, 
businessmen and ordinary passengers in the airports.
Tourism in Thailand is a booming industry until a few days ago when 
anti-government protesters occupied two major airports. The forced 
occupation by the militant protesters leaves thousands of passengers 
stranded for the last three days and damaging the country’s image as 
major tourist destination.

The militant protesters are demanding the resignation of the current 
Thailand Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat. Somchai is the 
brother-in-law of the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who is 
presently in exile and rumored to be staying in China. The militant 
group accused Somchai of being a puppet of Thaksin. They also accused 
Thaksin and his allies of corruption and abuse of power.

Upon his return from the APEC meeting in South America, Somchai declared 
a state of emergency at the airports authorizing police to take back the 
terminals from the militant protesters. Sensing that the police and 
military may not carryout the order, the government opted not to use 
force and just negotiate with the protesters.

Nattawut Sai-Kau said that the police have been instructed to get the 
protesters out of the airports as soon as possible and were instructed 
to avoid violence. “Firstly, the police should open negotiation with the 
protesters. If they refuse to go, police should do whatever is necessary 
to open the airports on the basis of non-violence” he added.

The government’s option of not using force on the militant protesters, 
raised doubts about the support of the army in a situation where force 
is the only option left for the government to exercise. The Army Chief 
remained neutral so far in the current political turmoil and has even 
encouraged Somchai to call for new election.

The standoff that gathered momentum about three months ago when 
protesters took the prime minister’s office have paralyzed the 
government and brought the stock market down. If the situation remains 
unresolved and prolonged, it will kill the tourism industry and bring 
Thailand’s economy in shambles.






http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/01/2433695.htm?section=world

Pro-Govt protesters hold rally in Bangkok
Posted Mon Dec 1, 2008 12:00am AEDT
Updated Mon Dec 1, 2008 12:34am AEDT
Slideshow: Photo 1 of 2

Police said around 4,000 supporters had gathered. (Reuters: Darren 
Whiteside)
Thousands of red-clad Government supporters have rallied in downtown 
Bangkok, stoking tensions after grenade attacks wounded dozens from a 
rival group that has occupied Thailand's main airports.
The demonstration added to the political turmoil paralysing the kingdom, 
which has left foreign nations scrambling to evacuate around 100,000 
tourists left stranded by the anti-government airport blockade.
Wearing red headbands emblazoned with the words "No Coup", backers of 
the current administration and of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra 
raised fears of violence by rallying for the first time in the six-day 
stand-off.
"We gather here today to protect the democratic system, to say we don't 
want a coup," said Jatuporn Prompan, a leader of the pro-government 
group known as the "Red Shirts", adding that they would stay there until 
Thursday.
Police said around 4,000 supporters had gathered.
The Government's failure to end the occupation of Bangkok's two airports 
by its foes in the royalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has 
sparked speculation of a repeat of the putsch that toppled Thaksin in 2006.
The PAD - whose supporters wear yellow in what they say is a symbol of 
their desire to protect Thailand's revered monarchy - have refused to 
budge until Thaksin's brother-in-law, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, 
resigns.
The demo took place about five kilometres away from where a grenade 
attack early on Sunday wounded 49 PAD supporters who have occupied the 
nearby Prime Minister's cabinet offices since August.
"Whatever happens, we will fight," senior PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang 
told reporters at the site earlier.
Hours later, a blast outside the domestic Don Mueang airport injured two 
passers-by, police said. A grenade was also found at the offices of a 
party in the ruling coalition but did not go off.
Grenade attacks this month at the Premier's besieged offices killed two 
protesters and prompted the PAD to launch its "final battle" to topple 
the government.
Thai authorities used carrot and stick tactics on Sunday to end the 
siege at Don Mueang and the larger Suvarnabhumi international airport.
Police said fresh talks had started at both airports. But they later 
issued a new order to protesters at Don Mueang, warning that they faced 
two years in jail if they did not disperse.
"Time is running out but we still have time to find a solution. Police 
will work with compromise, no force, no weapons," said Pongsapat 
Pongcharoen, assistant to the national police chief.
At Suvarnabhumi, PAD guards were still entrenched behind barricades of 
tyres, wooden stakes and razor wire. They have armed themselves with 
golf clubs, sticks and other weapons.
But there was a thin police presence around the airport, and most 
protesters inside the gleaming terminal building opened in 2006 were 
sleeping, AFP correspondents said.
The PAD accuses Mr Somchai's Government of being a corrupt puppet for 
Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon who is in exile to avoid corruption 
charges.
Supporters of the group have backing from elements in the military, 
palace and urban middle classes.
The apparent stalemate has prompted speculation that the rival factions 
are waiting for other events scheduled this week.
The Constitutional Court is due Tuesday to wrap up a case that could see 
the ruling party disbanded for fraud and Mr Somchai and other leaders 
banned from politics.
Meanwhile deeply-respected King Bhumibol Adulyadej is due to give a 
speech on Thursday, the eve of his birthday.
Foreign countries meanwhile arranged more flights for their stranded 
nationals through the Vietnam War-era naval base at U-Tapao, 190 
kilometres from Bangkok.
"They have killed tourism in this country, the authorities should go do 
something," said tourist Danny Mosaffi, 57, from New York City as he 
waited for a flight.
- AFP







http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Thailand-Protesters-Ordered-Out-Of-Bangkok-Airports/Article/200811415166725?f=rss

Thailand: Protesters Ordered Out
11:00am UK, Sunday November 30, 2008
Thai police have ordered thousands of anti-government protesters to 
immediately leave Bangkok's two airports or face prosecution.

Thai police say they want a peaceful solution to the stand-off
Suvarnabhumi international airport and Don Muang domestic airport have 
been taken over by supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy, 
leaving thousands of tourists stranded.
At least 2,000 police have surrounded the airports, and all flights have 
been cancelled in and out of the Thai capital.
Yesterday, activists attacked a checkpoint outside Suvarnabhumi, forcing 
more than 150 riot police to retreat.
The confrontation came as Thai authorities tried to stop more 
demonstrators joining the blockade.
Elsewhere in the capital, at least 51 anti-government protesters were 
injured in two explosions.

Protesters close airport
The first incident - a grenade attack on the prime minister's office - 
left at least 49 wounded, nine of whom were taken to hospital.
Somchai Wongsawat's office compound has been controlled by protesters 
since August.
In another pre-dawn attack, an explosive device was detonated near the 
main entrance to Don Muang airport, wounding two.
The explosions have raised fears of widening confrontations in a 
stand-off that has strangled the country's economy and shut down air 
traffic.
Thai police say they are in talks with protesters in a bid to end the 
stand-offs without resorting to force.

"We are in a negotiation process. We want to avoid any violent 
confrontation. We will not use weapons," police spokesman Pongsapat 
Pongcharoen told a news conference.
More than 100,000 air passengers have been left stranded in the city.
Spain has reportedly said it will send three planes to the country to 
fly people home.
Two Spanish military aircraft and an airliner chartered from a private 
company were due to depart on Sunday afternoon for Thailand, reports in 
the country's media said.






http://www.theledger.com/article/20081129/news/811290339

Protesters Attack Thai Police Cordon

By CHRIS BLAKE
& VIJAY JOSHI
Published: Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 10:10 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 10:10 p.m.
BANGKOK, Thailand | Anti-government protesters who have closed down 
Bangkok's airports broke through a police cordon meant to shut them off 
from supplies, raising fears Saturday of widening confrontations in the 
standoff that has strangled the country's economy.
Related Links:
• Thai Premier Is Ousted; Airports Will Open Again
About 400 protesters, traveling in a convoy of cars from the occupied 
international airport, attacked a police checkpoint staffed by more than 
100 police. The perimeter had raised expectations authorities were 
preparing for a raid to end the four-day-old siege.
But instead, the dramatic 4-minute assault effectively broke the cordon 
around the airport, which protesters overran Tuesday night as part of 
their campaign to force Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from office.
Bangkok's domestic airport also has been seized, severing the capital 
from all commercial air traffic and virtually paralyzing the government.
The closure of the airports has taken a heavy toll on Thailand's economy 
and reputation. According to Thai media reports, some 100,000 tourists 
are stranded, and schedules of airlines around the world have been 
disrupted.
The protesters, carrying metal rods and some guns, smashed windshields 
and threw what appeared to be firecrackers at the police.






http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/thai-protesters-overrun-airport-blockades-1041656.html

Thai protesters overrun airport blockades
More than 100,000 tourists still stranded as the country remains 
paralysed by five-day siege. Oliver Wright reports from Bangkok
Sunday, 30 November 2008
AFP
Anti-government protesters ignored police calls for them to leave 
Bangkok airport yesterday as more than 3,000 Britons were still unable 
to fly home
Hundreds of protesters occupying Bangkok's main airport yesterday 
stormed a police blockade, forcing 150 officers to flee a checkpoint as 
tensions mounted in the five-day stand-off that has virtually paralysed 
Thailand. Anti-government demonstrators armed with metal bars, baseball 
bats and golf clubs overran the cordon around the airport's perimeter, 
letting down the tyres of four police vans.
In the city itself last night, a grenade was lobbed into a rally of 
protesters occupying the compound at Government House, injuring 46 
people. Suriyasai Katasila, leader of the People's Alliance for 
Democracy (PAD), the movement behind the protests, blamed government 
supporters. "I had come down from the stage about 30 minutes before the 
grenade dropped into a crowded area," he told Taiwanese television.
As protesters fought with the security forces outside the airport, one 
policeman was grabbed, forcibly put in a vehicle by three of the 
protesters, and driven away towards an area controlled by the 
demonstrators. It was unclear whether they intended to hold him hostage.
After the confrontation, about 500 more protesters arrived at the 
airport in a convoy of trucks. "If they enter the airport, we won't open 
the door for sure," said a protest leader. "If they enter and fire, we 
will fire back for sure. If we must die, then we will die."
Later, about 2,000 policeman were deployed for the first time around the 
main exit and entry points to the airport, raising fears among the 
protesters inside that they intended to clear the airport by force. One 
checkpoint on the main road leading to Suvarnabhumi airport, on the 
outskirts of Bangkok, was manned by about 400 policemen accompanied by 
20 navy personnel armed with M-16 rifles. The roadblocks, police said, 
were meant to prevent more protesters from joining the thousands already 
inside the terminal building.
The confrontation has taken a heavy toll on Thailand's economy and 
reputation. Some 100,000 tourists, more than 3,000 of them British, are 
stranded, while many more who planned to go on holiday to the country 
cannot get in. Thailand's airport authority said yesterday that 
Suvarnabhumi would not reopen before tomorrow at the earliest. Some 
airlines are operating rescue flights out of an old navy base, 90 miles 
south of Bangkok, to ferry stranded passengers to Malaysia and 
Singapore. However, this has limited capacity and it would take weeks to 
move all the trapped passengers. Both the European Union and the US 
urged protesters to vacate the airports, saying the protests were 
"seriously damaging" Thailand's image.
The PAD is seeking the overthrow of the current Thai government led by 
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. Mr Somchai, who is the brother-in-law 
of the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was elected last 
December after a military coup in 2006 ousted Mr Thaksin.
But despite PAD's name and its allegation that the government is a 
puppet of Mr Thaksin, more democracy is not what it seeks. It wants to 
change Thailand's constitution to reduce the democratic representation 
of Thailand's poor, the main backers of the ruling People's Power Party 
(PPP), and increase the number of appointments to parliament.
The group has the backing of powerful forces within Thailand that are 
upset by what democracy has brought to the country in the shape of Mr 
Thaksin and his rural backers. Senior army leaders are also broadly 
sympathetic to PAD, and the group has backers in the royal household. 
The police, on the other hand, are generally loyal to the government but 
it is unclear even here how wide the Prime Minister's writ runs. On 
Friday, he was forced to demote the national police chief for failing to 
take strong enough action against protesters, and Mr Somchai himself has 
been unable to return to the capital from the party's northern 
stronghold of Chiang Mai since the crisis began on Tuesday. But the PAD 
may have overplayed its hand. Holding Bangkok's new £2.6bn airport 
hostage is risky because it alienates the business community, its core 
backer.
Even if PAD wins and there is a military coup that ousts Mr Somchai and 
the PPP, the crisis is far from over. The PPP could unleash its own mass 
movement, the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), to 
confront the PAD – but with similar or even bloodier results.
"We are calling for our supporters nationwide to come out," said 
Viphutalaeng Pattanaphumethai, a leader of the group. "They have been 
told to bring their clothes and food because we will be here for a long 
time."







http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5257097.ece

November 29, 2008
Thai riot police flee as protesters storm airport checkpoints
Kevin Dowling
Riot police have fled a checkpoint near Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi 
international airport after coming under attack by several hundred 
anti-government protesters.
About 150 police at the checkpoint jumped into their vehicles and drove 
away when they saw a convoy of protesters speeding toward them. 
Protesters have occupied the airport since late Tuesday, forcing the 
halt of all flights and leaving British holidaymakers stranded.
The situation for hundreds of Britons trapped in the country worsened 
today with the announcement that the airport will remain closed until at 
least 6pm Monday.
Andy Cooper, director general of the Federation of Tour Operators, said 
the five or six hundred British tourists stranded in Thailand with tour 
operators were in a "wait and see situation". It is estimated there are 
hundreds more independent travellers also stuck in the country.
A spokesman for Abta, the travel association, said: "Hundreds of British 
tourists are over in Bangkok with our members. They are in a better 
position than people who travelled independently.
"The operators are keeping in contact with them, making sure they are in 
hotels, and in many cases paying their bills. They are being looked after."
He said people with bookings to fly out to Thailand were being dealt 
with on a "rolling basis" and could choose to delay their trip, go to an 
alternative destination or ask for their money back.
A spokeswoman for tour operator Kuoni said they had been looking after 
about 200 clients in Thailand.
The confrontation, severing the capital from civilian air traffic, has 
taken a heavy toll on Thailand's economy and reputation.
So far security forces have only issued a warning to the protesters to 
leave and refrained from using force. The protesters say they will not 
leave until the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resigns.
But the government's patience is wearing thin.
"The police will issue another warning to protesters to leave the two 
airports. The language in the warning will be stronger than the first 
one," said a police spokesman, Major General Amnuay Nimmano.
He said if the protesters do not leave, a deadline will be issued "in 
the third warning — the last one before we take action."
The 2,000 policeman at Suvarnabhumi were deployed at all exit and entry 
points around the airport, said police Major General Rachandra 
Ruenkamon, the deputy chief of operations in the area.
One checkpoint on the main highway leading to the airport on Bangkok's 
outskirts was manned by about 400 policemen accompanied by about 20 navy 
sailors armed with M-16 rifles.
The roadblocks were meant to prevent more protesters from joining 
thousands of others inside the terminal building.
About 50 soldiers guarded the maintenance facility of the airport, a few 
kilometers away from the main complex.
Several airlines are flying rescue flights to the U-Tapao naval airport, 
140 kilometers south of Bangkok, to evacuate stranded passengers. But 
the small airport is overwhelmed by the load, unable to process 
thousands of travelers quickly.
Among those stranded are about 3,000 Chinese tourists who will be flown 
out on special flights by four Chinese airlines beginning Saturday, 
China's Xinhua News Agency reported. It said the Hong Kong government 
has also arranged two Cathay Pacific flights to help stranded passengers.
Several groups around the world have canceled planned tours, and 88 
aircraft, many of them belonging to foreign airlines, are parked at 
Suvarnabhumi unable to take off.
The Federation of Thai Industries estimates the cost of lost trade due 
to the airport shutdowns at $57 million to $85 million a day.
Thailand's central bank said the number of tourist arrivals is likely to 
fall by 40 percent next year if the airport shutdown drags on until the 
end of December. It said the tourism industry, a key component of the 
Thai economy, is expected to lose $4.28 billion, equal to 1.5 percent of 
the gross domestic product.
With international repercussions obvious, the European Union and the 
United States urged the protesters to end their siege.
The People's Alliance for Democracy accuses the government of being a 
puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 
2006 military coup and fled overseas to escape corruption charges.
Prime Minister Somchai, who is Thaksin's brother-in-law, is now 
operating the government out of the northern city of Chiang Mai, blocked 
out of his office in Bangkok.
Tension rose further Saturday after a pro-government group expressed 
frustration at the continuing stand-off and called for an indefinite 
sit-in starting Sunday in central Bangkok.
"We are calling for our supporters nationwide to come out (for the 
rally). They have been told to bring their clothes and food because we 
will be here long," said Viphutalaeng Pattanaphumethai, a leader of the 
group, which in the past has clashed with the alliance.
Its members wear red shirts to distinguish themselves from the alliance, 
whose supporters wear yellow.
At the Suvarnabhumi airport, Associated Press reporters saw one 
policeman being grabbed Saturday at a checkpoint by three protesters, 
forcibly put in a vehicle, and driven away toward areas controlled by 
the demonstrators. His whereabouts remained unclear.






http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Thai-police-cordon-off-airport.4746175.jp

Thai police cordon off airport: 2,000-strong force 'ready to act' 
against government protesters

Published Date: 30 November 2008
By Chris Blake in Bangkok
POLICE built a massive cordon around anti-government protesters 
occupying Thailand's main airport yesterday, raising fears of violence 
in a standoff that has disrupted the country's economy and the travel 
industry worldwide.
At Suvarnabhumi International Airport there were unconfirmed reports of 
a policeman being grabbed at a checkpoint by three protesters, forced 
into a vehicle and driven away toward areas controlled by the demonstrators.

About 2,000 officers were deployed around the airport, where protesters 
calling themselves the People's Alliance for Democracy have camped out 
since Tuesday night, forcing the grounding of all flights.

With no sign of the standoff easing, the airport authority said 
Suvarnabhumi will remain closed at least until Monday evening.

The protesters have also occupied Bangkok's domestic airport and the 
prime minister's office compound, virtually paralysing the government in 
their campaign to bring it down.

The confrontation, severing the capital from civilian air traffic, has 
hit Thailand's economy and reputation hard. According to Thai media 
reports, about 100,000 tourists are stranded, and worldwide airline 
schedules have been disrupted.

So far security forces have only issued a warning to the protesters to 
leave and have refrained from using force. The dissidents say they will 
not leave until the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resigns.

But it appears the government's patience is wearing thin. "The police 
will issue another warning to protesters to leave the two airports. The 
language in the warning will be stronger than the first one," said a 
police spokesman, Maj Gen Amnuay Nimmano.

He said if the protesters do not leave, a deadline will be issued "in 
the third warning – the last one before we take action".

The officers at Suvarnabhumi were deployed at all exit and entry points 
around the airport, a senior policeman said. One checkpoint on the main 
highway leading to the airport on Bangkok's outskirts was manned by 
about 400 policemen accompanied by about 20 armed naval troops.

The roadblocks were meant to prevent more activists from joining 
thousands of others inside the terminal building.

About 50 soldiers guarded the maintenance facility of the airport, a few 
miles away from the main complex.

Several airlines are organising flights to the U-Tapao naval airport, 90 
miles south of Bangkok, to evacuate stranded passengers. But the small 
airport has been overwhelmed by the load, unable to process thousands of 
travellers quickly.

Among those stranded are 3,000 Chinese tourists who were due to be flown 
out on special flights by four Chinese airlines. The Hong Kong 
government has also arranged two Cathay Pacific flights to help the 
evacuation.

Several groups around the world have cancelled planned tours, and 88 
aircraft, many of them belonging to foreign airlines, are parked at 
Suvarnabhumi, unable to take off.

The Federation of Thai Industries estimates the cost of lost trade due 
to the airport shutdowns at £37m to £55m a day.

Thailand's central bank said the number of tourist arrivals is likely to 
fall by 40% next year if the airport shutdown drags on until the end of 
December. It said the tourism industry, a key component of the Thai 
economy, is expected to lose £2.8bn, equivalent to 1.5% of the GDP.

With international repercussions in the offing, the EU and the US urged 
the protesters to end their siege.

The People's Alliance for Democracy accuses the government of being a 
puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 
2006 military coup and fled overseas to escape corruption charges.

Somchai, who is Thaksin's brother-in-law, is now operating the 
government out of the northern city of Chiang Mai, having been blocked 
from his office in Bangkok.

Tensions rose further yesterday after a pro-government group expressed 
frustration at the standoff and called for an indefinite sit-in starting 
today in central Bangkok.

"We are calling for our supporters nationwide to come out. They have 
been told to bring their clothes and food because we will be here long," 
said Viphutalaeng Pattanaphumethai, a leader of the group, which in the 
past has clashed with the alliance.

Its members wear red shirts to distinguish themselves from the alliance, 
whose supporters wear yellow.

• The plight of stranded Britons trapped in Thailand was described as 
"deeply concerning" by a Foreign Officer minister. Among them is the 
pregnant wife of England rugby league captain Jamie Peacock. The 
30-year-old said he was worried not enough was being done to help those 
stranded.

His wife Faye, 33, who is six months pregnant, their son Lewis, four, 
and Faye's mother Pat, were due to fly back to England from Bangkok when 
Suvarnabhumi was overrun by protesters.

He said: "I think the story has gone under a little bit, and more of an 
effort needs to be made to get all the people who are stuck there out of 
there, because the country is on the brink of a lot of trouble."







http://www.seattlepi.com/national/389982_thailand29.html

Last updated November 28, 2008 10:01 p.m. PT
Thai protesters refuse to back down
Thousands of travelers stranded at Bangkok airports
By AMBIKA AHUJA AND CHRIS BLAKE
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thailand's prime minister pledged Friday to use 
peaceful means to end the siege of the capital's airports by 
anti-government protesters and he demoted the national police chief, 
amid speculation that the chief had disagreed with government policy.
But the likelihood of a violent confrontation still appeared high, as 
both protesters and police reinforced their presence at Suvarnabhumi 
International Airport, seized Tuesday by the anti-government People's 
Alliance for Democracy.
"Today, we see blood with our eyes. We will fight," said top protest 
leader Sondhi Limthongkul. "At this moment, there is no way we will 
negotiate."
The group is demanding the resignation of the government, which it 
accuses of being a puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, 
who was ousted by a 2006 military coup and fled overseas to escape 
corruption charges. Current Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is 
Thaksin's brother-in-law.
The capital remains cut off from all civilian air traffic, stranding 
thousands of travelers and dealing a severe blow to the economy and 
tourism industry.
More protesters arrived at the airport in cars and buses despite 
roadblocks set up by police, boosting their number to several thousand.
Police, many in full riot gear, also had a much more visible presence, 
guarding an airport hotel and airport management offices, and assembling 
in a nearby administrative building.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid on Friday said 
the U.S. government was "deeply concerned" about the situation and 
called on the protesters "to walk away from the airports peacefully."
The Thai government on Thursday declared a state of emergency at 
Suvarnabhumi and at the smaller Don Muang domestic airport -- also 
occupied by demonstrators -- but has not taken any further firm steps. 
Its failure to end the illegal airport closures has led to calls in the 
media for Somchai to step down, even from those who oppose the protesters.
In a brief televised speech Friday night, Somchai gave no clue as to 
when the deadlock might be resolved. "Do not be concerned. The security 
forces will use peaceful means. There will be negotiations and whatever 
else which is appropriate in the situation," he said.
Government spokesman Nattawut Sai-Kua said National Police Chief Gen. 
Pacharawat Wongsuwan was demoted to an inactive post in the prime 
minister's office. It was not clear if Pacharawat was removed because 
police failed to evict the protesters, or because he apparently made no 
attempt to negotiate a peaceful end to the crisis, as the government had 
asked.
The lack of use of force by the government and the firing of the police 
chief have raised doubts about whether Somchai has the support of the 
police and army.
Many of the demonstrators were defiant, and said they did not fear if 
police attempted to disperse the crowd.
"Even though they are going to come here, it doesn't matter. They can 
arrest us but we will come back again," said Vichai Hanvivatpong, 40.






http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/11/27/international/i014608S07.DTL

Protesters move to besieged airports
By AMBIKA AHUJA, Associated Press Writers
Sunday, November 30, 2008

(11-30) 23:24 PST BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) --
Anti-government protesters camped at Thailand's government seat were 
shifting tactics to join colleagues at Bangkok's besieged airports 
Monday as the politically paralyzed country struggled with more than 
300,000 stranded travelers.
________________________________________
Images
View More Images
________________________________________
A leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy said demonstrators will 
end their more than three-month sit-in at the prime minister's office 
compound and move to both Bangkok airports, which they seized last week 
in their push to oust the government, severing all civilian flights in 
or out of the capital.
Airlines were meanwhile flying dozens of empty planes out of Bangkok's 
main international airport.
Some 30 planes had been flown out starting Sunday and an additional 50 
were to be moved later Monday, some of them to protest-free airports 
elsewhere in Thailand so that stranded travelers can fly out of the 
country, said Serirat Prasutanont, director of the Airports Authority of 
Thailand.
Thailand's political crisis escalated Sunday when some 10,000 
pro-government activists converged on Bangkok to counter rival 
protesters who have forced the prime minister to run the country from 
outside the capital.
Explosions Sunday targeting the anti-government protesters injured at 
least 51 people, officials said, with blasts hitting the prime 
minister's compound and a road near the occupied domestic airport. No 
one claimed responsibility for Sunday's blasts, but the alliance blamed 
the government.
Alliance leader Chamlong Srimuang called on protesters who have the 
prime minister's compound since Aug. 26 to "move to the airports to 
support our people there."
The move did not represent a softening of the protest group's stance nor 
was it clear whether the three-month-old occupation of the compound was 
entirely over. Chamlong told supporters that they should move because it 
was not safe to remain at Government House.
Neither the army nor Thailand's revered king have stepped in to resolve 
the crisis — or offered the firm backing that Prime Minister Somchai 
Wongsawat needs to resolve the leadership vacuum.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has intervened to resolve several political 
crises over the past four decades, is scheduled to deliver a 
much-anticipated speech on his 81st birthday Friday. But whether he will 
actually move to resolve the paralyzing situation is uncertain.
Another awaited event is a Constitutional Court ruling Tuesday on 
whether three parties in the governing coalition, including Somchai's 
People's Power Party, committed electoral fraud.
If found guilty, the parties would be dissolved immediately, and 
executive members including Somchai would be barred from politics for 
five years. Whether this would satisfy the anti-government protesters is 
also uncertain.
Thailand's foreign ministry planned to propose Tuesday the postponement 
of the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 
scheduled for mid-December in Thailand, ministry spokesman Thani 
Thongpakdee told The Associated Press.
The alliance says it will not give up until Somchai resigns, accusing 
him of being a puppet of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the 
alliance's original target. Thaksin, who is Somchai's brother-in-law, 
was deposed in a 2006 military coup and has fled the country to escape 
corruption charges.
Alliance protesters managed to shut down the international Suvarnabhumi 
airport last Tuesday, stranding scores of planes.
Kongrit Hiranyakit, head of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said over 
300,000 travelers were stranded in Thailand, with 35,000 to 45,000 being 
added to that number for each day the airports remain closed. Thousands 
of others trying to enter Thailand from around the world are also in a 
holding pattern.
Some countries evacuated nationals by land. The Australian embassy was 
helping stranded tourists in Bangkok travel by bus to the southern 
resort island of Phuket, where air traffic has not been disrupted, for 
onward travel to Australia.
"This is my 47th birthday today. This is also my first trip out of 
Australia and it is also my last," said a woman waiting for the buses 
who asked not to be named.
The government has alleged that the protesters are trying to spark 
anarchy so that the military will feel compelled to take over the country.
But the army, which overthrew Thaksin among other previous coups, says 
it has no plans to oust the current prime minister. Still, the army has 
failed to back up Somchai's efforts to restore order.
Nattawut, the government spokesman, denied rumors that Somchai left the 
country, saying he was operating out of the northern city of Chiang Mai 
and traveling to Nakhon Phanom province, a northeastern province 600 
kilometers (370 miles) from Bangkok.
The Federation of Thai Industries has estimated the airports takeover is 
costing the country $57 million to $85 million a day. Some of its 
members have suggested withholding taxes in protest.
The supporters of the alliance are largely middle-class citizens who say 
Thailand's electoral system is susceptible to vote-buying and argue that 
the rural majority — the Thaksin camp's political base — is not 
sophisticated enough to cast ballots responsibly.
They have proposed discarding the one-man, one-vote system in favor of 
appointing most legislators, fostering resentment among rural voters.
The divisions have slipped into deadly violence. So far, six people have 
been killed in bomb attacks, clashes with police and street battles 
between government opponents and supporters.
___
Associated Press reporters Vijay Joshi and Michael Casey contributed to 
this report.






http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=612728

Thailand: Protest leaders refuse Saturday talks
Posted: 2008/11/29
From: MNN


Key protest leaders have refused to hold talks to end the siege of 
Bangkok`s two main airports, after four parties including the police 
tried to bring them to the negotiating table on Saturday.

After a security meeting, regional police deputy commander Major General 
Piya Sorntrakoon claimed protesters had agreed to hold formal talks on 
Saturday with authorities.

People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leader Somsak Kosaisuk however 
denied the police’s claim, saying no such contact had been made. He said 
more PAD guards had been called in to protect the protesters’ defence 
lines.

Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant General Suchart Muankaew, the metropolitan 
police bureau chief, issued an order telling protesters at Don Mueang 
airport to leave the premises immediately.

"All protesters must leave the protest site otherwise law enforcement 
officers will carry out necessary measures to handle the situation," 
said the senior police officer.

The order came a day after Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat declared a 
state of emergency at the two main airports and authorised police to end 
the protests.

The anti-government protesters have said they will not leave until Mr. 
Somchai, whom they accused of being a proxy of fugitive former prime 
minister Thaksin Shinawatra, resigns.

The premier reiterated on Friday he had imposed the emergency decree 
with the intention of tackling the problem, which had caused serious 
damage to the nation. It was meant to restore order, not to cause violence.

“The handling of protesters will be carried out in accordance with 
international practices. The best way out is negotiation. First, we must 
end the airport seizure. Otherwise, it will cause negative consequences 
to all sides,” said the premier.

Interior Minister Kowit Wattana assured the public that the government 
would adopt a soft approach to handle with the protesters who have 
closed Bangkok's two main airports for days.

Meanwhile, the Administrative Court dropped an appeal filed by a PAD 
lawyer against the Civil Court’s injunctions ordering the PAD to leave 
Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports. (TNA) #







http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Thailand-Protests-Grenade-Attack-Injures-Protestors-As-Bangkok-Airport-Remains-Shut/Article/200811415165384?f=rss

Blast Injures Thai Protestors
8:51pm UK, Saturday November 29, 2008
A grenade attack on anti-government protesters in Bangkok has wounded at 
least 46 people, say hospital officials.
The blast took place at a rally near the Thai prime minister's office, 
which has been occupied by supporters of the People's Alliance for 
Democracy since August.
It comes amid ongoing unrest in Thailand's capital, where thousands of 
protestors have taken over the city's two main airports.
The stand off with police has left an estimated 100,000 tourists 
stranded in the country.
Earlier, riot police fled a checkpoint near the airport after clashes 
with demonstrators intensified.
About 2,000 police have been deployed around Suvarnabhumi international 
airport after activists holed up inside forced the cancellation of all 
flights.
About 150 police at a checkpoint half-a-mile from the terminal jumped in 
their vehicles and drove away when they saw a convoy of protesters 
speeding toward them.
Local journalist Andrew Drummond, who is with the protesters in Bangkok, 
said the activists were well-armed and thousands strong.
"They seem to have a very good spy network, and they are heading the 
police off before they get a chance of getting into the airport," he 
told Sky News Online.
"Thousands of protesters here have moved out of the airport, they have 
got iron bars, wooden clubs, if that checkpoint has gone it wouldn't 
surprise me.
"Nothing can resist that - there's massive amounts of people here at the 
moment."
Officials said the airport will stay closed until at least Monday 
evening, leaving thousands of tourists stranded in Bangkok.
Flight operators had been telling passengers that the airport was 
expected to open on Sunday.
Protesters have seized both of Bangkok's airports in their effort to 
unseat the government. They have also taken a police officer captive as 
tensions escalate.
The kidnapping intensifies fears that the four-day siege will end in 
violence, despite the Thai prime minister pledging to use peaceful 
methods to resolve the issue.
Britain's Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell described the situation 
as "deeply concerning".

Protest at Bangkok's main airport
Protesters are demanding the resignation of the government it accuses of 
being a puppet of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Shinawatra, who recently relinquished control of Manchester City 
football club, was ousted by a 2006 military coup and fled overseas to 
escape corruption charges.
Current prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, Shinawatra's brother-in-law, 
declared a state of emergency at Suvarnabhumi and at the smaller Don 
Muang domestic airport, also occupied by demonstrators.
Several hundred Britons have been trapped in Thailand including the 
pregnant wife of England rugby league captain Jamie Peacock.
The 30-year-old, who plays for Leeds Rhinos, said he was worried not 
enough was being done to help those stranded.
One British tourist said no one was offering them "a way out" of the 
country.
Carol Hobbs said: "They seem to think because we are here and we are 
comfortable and we are eating and drinking and safe then that is fine."
She added: "The embassy in Thailand, Bangkok, is closed. It closed 
yesterday at one o'clock and doesn't open again until Monday."






http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/29/2433335.htm

Thai protesters face off against police
Posted Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:33pm AEDT
Updated Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:46pm AEDT

Protester numbers are expected to swell over the weekend. (Reuters)
Anti-government protesters have ignored orders to leave one of Bangkok's 
besieged airports and faced off with Thai police, raising fears of 
clashes as crippling demonstrations escalated.
Tensions mounted with Thai television showing angry demonstrators 
arguing with police on a road to the main Suvarnabhumi airport as police 
tried set up a checkpoint to stop more people heading to the protest site.
Despite Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's declaration of emergency rule 
at the airports, protesters trying to topple his elected Government have 
remained entrenched, barricading themselves in with barbed-wire and tyres.
Late on Friday authorities ordered protesters to clear the small 
domestic hub Don Mueang, while police in body armour began gathering at 
the Suvarnabhumi international airport, which is heavily guarded by the 
activists.
Suvarnabhumi has been closed since late Tuesday, and every day the siege 
continues, 30,000 more passengers miss flights and the kingdom loses 
millions of dollars in tourism revenue, ministers and officials have said.
Chamlong Srimuang, a retired army general and one of the key leaders of 
the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest group, said 
demonstrators at Suvarnabhumi should prepare for police action and a 
prolonged siege.
"All who have just arrived from up-country and those who are still at 
home, please continue your journey to Suvarnabhumi," he told crowds at 
the Prime Minister's Bangkok offices, which the PAD has occupied since 
late August.
"Bring food and drink because police have sealed off our protesters."
Police were not immediately available to comment on the situation.
The army chief has said he does not want to remove the protesters for 
fears of bloody clashes, and on Wednesday urged Mr Somchai to dissolve 
parliament and hold new elections, calls the Prime Minister promptly 
rejected.
In signs of further rifts between the Government and security forces, Mr 
Somchai recently removed national police chief General Patcharawat 
Wongsuwan, as police failed to take action after the emergency rule order.
The protesters are calling for the resignation of the Government elected 
in December, saying it is running Thailand on behalf of former premier 
Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup in 2006 and is banned from 
politics.
The Government said it tried to start negotiations with the PAD, but 
protest leaders have so far rebuffed the overtures, and say they will 
stay remain at the airports until the resignation of Mr Somchai, 
Thaksin's brother-in-law.
A police officer estimated that 3,000 protesters were camped out at 
Suvarnabhumi, about 1,000 were at Don Mueang, and only 700 remained at 
the Prime Ministers's offices.
Numbers are expected to swell over the weekend.
- AFP






http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D94OKP4O0&show_article=1

LEAD: Thai police await to negotiate with antigovernment protesters+

Nov 29 09:03 AM US/Eastern Comments (0)

BANGKOK, Nov. 29 (AP) - (Kyodo)—(EDS: UPDATING THROUGHOUT)
Thai police urged antigovernment leaders on Saturday to end the siege of 
Bangkok's two main airports through talks.
The head of operations at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Police 
Region One commander Chalong Sonchai, said the door for negotiations was 
still open and the police will not set a time frame to remove protesters 
from the airport.
He said about 2,000 police have been deployed at Suvarnabhumi so far, 
together with 300 supporting troops from the army and the navy, but not 
all of them were in action at the moment.
"I want to urge PAD to please send representatives to negotiate with us. 
We are all Thais and we should solve this problem peacefully," he said, 
referring to the People's Alliance for Democracy, which has spearheaded 
the antigovernment campaign.
Deputy Metropolitan Police Chief Ammuay Nimnano said the police were 
drafting a second order telling protesters about regulations, such as 
prohibiting more protesters from entering the airports before taking the 
next step if protesters disobey.
The first order was issued Friday evening telling protesters to leave 
the Don Muang International Airport, or they will face charges.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat reiterated Saturday that he was ready 
to negotiate with PAD but refused to dissolve the Parliament or to step 
down.
Somchai said PAD's campaign to oust him was a grave danger that is 
destroying the country's economy and stability.
Interior Minister Kowit Watana met with law enforcement officials on 
Saturday to cope with the political unrest in Thailand after 
antigovernment protesters rejected negotiations with the government.
Kowit said after the meeting that the police want to negotiate with the 
protesters but if PAD refuses to talk, the police have to do something. 
He declined to go into details.
PAD leaders reiterated Saturday that they will not negotiate with the 
government until Prime Minister Somchai and his government step down.
A PAD leader, Chamlong Srimuang, said he believes the situation will end 
before King Bhumibol Adulyadej's birthday on Dec. 5.
In a statement broadcast live from Chiang Mai on Friday night, Somchai 
said officials were told to use "gentle means" to deal with the 
protesters occupying Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports.
Somchai went on television after he demoted police chief Gen. 
Watcharawat Wongsuwan to an inactive post.
Thousands of PAD protesters continued to barricade themselves in the 
Government House and Bangkok's two airports, saying they are ready to 
fight back if police use force to disperse them.
On Saturday, hundreds of protesters forced police deployed at 
checkpoints around Suvarnabhumi airport to leave after police tried to 
bar people from joining the protest.
Army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the army is under pressure due 
to the current crisis but insisted it will not stage a coup.
Meanwhile, the government continued to send back foreign tourists who 
have been stranded after Bangkok's two airports were shut down Tuesday.
Airports of Thailand on Saturday extended the closure of the two 
airports for another two days.
According to the Tourism and Sports Ministry, the government will try to 
send foreign tourists home from U-Tapao airport in Rayong Province, 
located in a naval base some 190 kilometers southeast of Bangkok, and 
from airports in other provinces, including Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai.
Deputy Prime Minister Olarn Chaiprawat said the number of foreign 
tourists to Thailand is expected to shrink by half while around 1 
million employees in the service sector will be unemployed next year.
The U.S. government issued a statement expressing its concern over the 
closure of Bangkok's airports by PAD, and urged the protesters to pull 
out peacefully.
"While we respect the right to freedom of expression, seizing the 
airports is not an appropriate means of protest...we hope that the 
situation can be resolved without violence and in accordance with the 
law," the statement said.
The European Union expressed serious concern over the situation and 
urged the Thai government to restore security and guarantee public order 
with rule of law.
The European Union also said the airport siege has damaged Thailand's 
international image.
The PAD activists, who have occupied the Government House in central 
Bangkok since August, began their antigovernment protests May 25 and 
continued even after Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was unseated by the 
Constitutional Court in early September.






http://www.nation.co.ke/News/world/-/1068/496498/-/s0fwhe/-/index.html

Protesters send Thai police fleeing

By REUTERSPosted Saturday, November 29 2008 at 19:31
Hundreds of anti-government protesters on Saturday forced several dozen 
Thai riot police to abandon a checkpoint as they tightened their siege 
of the country’s main airport, witnesses said.
Around 2,000 People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters forced 
back about 150 police officers from 1km north of Suvarnabhumi Airport, 
although the incident passed off without violence.
The protesters are seeking to oust Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat 
in the latest escalation in a long-running political crisis.
A day after their police chief was sacked for mishandling the protests, 
commanders on the ground said they would not yet try to evict by force 
the thousands of protesters at Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports.
But PAD supporters were taking no chances and today deflated the tyres 
of ambulances and police vehicles at the checkpoint.Several vehicles 
were left stranded in the middle of the road.
The PAD say they are ready for a prolonged siege, with their “security 
guards” armed with clubs, sticks and golf clubs, and dug in behind a 
series of barricades of fire trucks, razor wire, car tires and luggage 
trolleys.





http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/thailand/2008/11/29/185350/Thai-PM.htm

Updated Saturday, November 29, 2008 11:52 am TWN, By Ed Cropley, Reuters
Thai PM sacks police chief as protesters continue seige
BANGKOK -- Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat sacked his national 
police chief on Friday, fuelling speculation that the government is 
preparing to crackdown on protesters besieging Bangkok’s main airports.
General Patcharawat Wongsuwan, who was moved to an inactive post, had 
resisted previous orders to crackdown on the street protesters who began 
a “final battle” to unseat the government on Monday, Thai media reported.
“The removal was the result of his performance during this current 
crisis,” government spokesman Nattawut Saikuar told NBT television a day 
after Somchai declared a state of emergency to end the crippling airport 
sieges.
Dozens of riot police with truncheons and shields gathered at Bangkok’s 
Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday, but took no action against the People’s 
Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters camped outside the main terminal.
Police at Don Muang airport ordered protesters there to leave 
immediately, but softened the edict by saying they hoped the situation 
would return to normal within three days.
In a televised address, Somchai said the government would be gentle with 
the protesters.”Don’t worry. Officials will use gentle measures to deal 
with them,” Somchai said, and invited human rights and media 
organizations to observe the process.
The siege at Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi International Airport have cut 
the Thai capital’s air links to the world, leaving thousands stranded 
and hurting the tourist-dependent economy.
The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said if the political 
turmoil and airport closures go on for another month, it would cost the 
economy up to 215 billion baht ($6 billion).
“While the question on whether the mess can be cleared up in a year is 
still an important one, the question on whether confidence would return 
even if it does get cleaned up in a month is beginning to look less 
clear,” said Carl Rajoo, an economist at Forecast in Singapore.
Declaring a state of emergency at the airports from the government 
stronghold of Chiang Mai, 700 km (400 miles) north of Bangkok, Somchai 
said the export- and tourism-driven economy could not tolerate further 
disruption.
PAD guards had set up roadblocks on the main expressway to the airport 
and were stopping all cars and checking passengers and trunk compartments.
The roadblocks were manned by youths in black jackets, faces partly 
covered by masks. Some wore body armour and wielded wooden stakes and 
golf clubs.
“We will not leave. We will use human shields against the police if they 
try to disperse us,” PAD leader Suriyasai Katasila told Reuters.





http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/243921,protest-leaders-send-mixed-signals-to-thai-government--update.html

Protest leaders send mixed signals to Thai government - Update
Posted : Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:03:11 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Asia (World)

Bangkok - Protest leaders holding Bangkok's two airports hostage in 
their bid to topple the government sent mixed signals on Saturday to 
authorities preparing to crack down on the demonstrators. Prime Minister 
Somchai Wongsawat on Thursday declared both Suvarnabhumi International 
Airport and Don Mueang, Bangkok's former international airport, under 
emergency decree and ordered the police, air force and navy to clear out 
thousands of followers of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a 
movement that has been staging increasingly violent protests for the 
past six months.
PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul on Saturday vowed to "fight to the death" 
if police attempt to seize him at his ASTV headquarters in Bangkok, but 
another core leader, Chamlong Srimuang, claimed he was ready to open 
talks with the prime minister.
The two leaders have proven master strategists over the months of 
directing anti-government protests that have succeeded in occupying 
Government House - the seat of the administration - and now the 
capital's two airports in their efforts to bring the government down.
The airport takeovers this week may have shifted public opinion against 
the movement. Suvarabhumi has been closed to air traffic since Wednesday 
and Don Mueang since Thursday.
The PAD has drawn a diverse base of backers from Bangkok's middle class, 
provincial people opposed to corruption and the country's political elite.
The police have been reluctant to attack the demonstrators, who include 
many middle-aged women, families with young children, veteran political 
agitators and hardcore, golf club-wielding guards.
By mid-day Saturday, police had gathered several kilometres away from 
the two airports, but had refrained from attacking.
The last time police cracked down on the PAD, at a demonstration outside 
Parliament on October 7, two protestors were killed when tear-gas 
cannisters were fired into the crowds.
The police came under public criticism for the action, and Queen 
Sirikit, the wife of Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 
attended the funeral of one of the victims.
The airport closures have stranded an estimated 100,000 passengers who 
want to leave the kingdom, according to Tourism Minister Weerasak 
Kowsurat. Industry sources said they are losing 3 billion baht (86 
million dollars) a day in unshipped cargo.
Governments around the world have warned their citizens against travel 
to Thailand, hitting the country's tourism sector, which has already 
been hurt by the global financial crisis. The US government on Friday 
criticized the PAD's seizure of the airports as "not an appropriate 
means of protest."
The airport crisis has demonstrated the weakness of the current 
government. Somchai has essentially moved his cabinet to Chiang Mai, 550 
kilometres north of Bangkok, for fear of a coup.
Somchai is the brother-in-law of Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime 
minister who was ousted by a bloodless military coup in September 2006 
and is now living in self-imposed exile, a fugitive from the law after 
being convicted and sentenced to two years in prison for abuse of power.
However, Thaksin remains a key character in Thailand's unfolding 
political drama.
Using his blog, Thaksin has called on the PAD to cease its protests and 
the police and military to enforce the law, ironically, since he is 
fleeing a court sentence himself.
Many political observers believe the growing political chaos is setting 
the stage for Thaksin's political comeback.
The PAD's main mission is to block his return to power, and the kind of 
money-politics he represented.
The group is known to be seeking a military coup to launch their 
proposed "new politics," which would favour appointee governments over 
elected ones.
But if the military stages a croup this time, it would face immediate 
opposition from the "Red Shirts," a pro-government group that has 
rivalled the PAD in leading civil unrest.
"They will fight back right after the coup, starting in Bangkok, so they 
will have to kill a lot of people," said Chaturon Chaisaeng, the former 
leader of Thaksin's now defunct Thai Rak Thai party who has close ties 
with the current government.
Although the military's last coup toppled Thaksin from power in a 
bloodless putsch, it ultimately failed to stop his followers from 
returning to power in the December 2007 general elections.
The current government is led by the People Power Party, which came to 
power on a pro-Thaksin platform.






http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE4AO4TX20081128

Bangkok airport protesters prepare for long stay
Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:28pm EST

28 Nov 2008
By Ed Cropley
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters in Bangkok blockaded one 
of Asia's busiest airports for a fourth day on Saturday, with riot 
police ruling out an immediate assault to end the stand-off.
The protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) are 
seeking to oust Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat in the latest 
escalation in a long-running political crisis.
A day after their police chief was sacked for mishandling the protests, 
commanders on the ground said they would not yet try to evict by force 
the thousands of protesters at the city's Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang 
airports.
"Tonight, we are staying here," Police Colonel Sutin Meekajit said in 
the hotel car park at the $4 billion Suvarnabhumi airport, gateway for 
nearly 15 million tourists last year.
In a televised address, Prime Minister Somchai said the PAD members 
barricaded at the airports were doing massive damage to the economy, but 
he would avoid violence to end the protests.
"Don't worry. Officials will use gentle measures to deal with them," 
Somchai said, inviting rights groups and journalists to monitor the 
imposition of emergency rule at the two airports.
Somchai took a tougher line with his police chief, demoting General 
Patcharawat Wongsuwan to an inactive post on Friday.
While dozens of riot police with truncheons and shields kept watch on 
protesters at Suvarnabhumi, police at Don Muang airport ordered 
demonstrators there to leave immediately.
But they softened the edict by saying they hoped the situation would 
return to normal within three days.
The PAD refuses to end the airport sit-ins, which have forced hundreds 
of flights to be canceled, stranded thousands of foreign tourists and 
grounded millions of dollars of air cargo.
"We will not enter in any talks with the police. We will fight until the 
end," PAD spokesman Parnthep Pourpongpan said.
The PAD say they are ready for a prolonged siege, their "security 
guards" armed with clubs, sticks and golf clubs, and dug in behind a 
series of barricades of fire trucks, razor wire, car tires and luggage 
trolleys.
EXPORTERS DESPERATE
Thailand's three-year-old political crisis has deepened dramatically 
since the unelected PAD began a "final battle" on Monday to unseat 
Somchai, whom they accuse of being a pawn of former leader Thaksin 
Shinawatra, his brother-in-law.
Pressure is building on the army to oust the prime minister, as they did 
Thaksin in 2006, after Somchai rejected military calls to quit this week.
But army chief Anupong Paochinda has said he would not take over, 
arguing the military cannot heal fundamental political rifts between the 
Bangkok elite and middle classes who despise Thaksin, and the poor rural 
and urban majority who love him.
Exporters were scrambling to get perishable goods and key components to 
customers around the world.
The question of compensation may arise later, but for now, they are 
focused on shipping goods, said Kasem Jariyawong, president of the Thai 
Air Freight Forwarders Association.
"We haven't had time to think about suing anybody, being occupied with 
how to cope with the immediate problem. What we and the shippers don't 
know is how long the siege will drag on."
A prolonged closure of Suvarnabhumi, which can handle 3 million tons of 
cargo a year, would do serious damage to an export-driven economy 
already struggling to cope with a global slowdown, experts say.
Repairing Thailand's tarnished image as a safe place to do business and 
travel may also take time.
The government began shuttling thousands of stranded tourists by bus to 
U-Tapao, a Vietnam War-era naval airbase 150 km (90 miles) east of 
Bangkok, as an alternative landing site for airlines, but travelers 
reported delays and confusion.
The U.S. embassy in Bangkok said it had asked the Thai foreign ministry 
to provide "appropriate compensation" to U.S. citizens stranded by the 
airport closures.
(Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Keith Weir)





http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking_news_detail.asp?id=10334

Thai protesters face action at Don Muang airport
(11-28 22:00)
Thai police have ordered protesters to immediately leave one of 
Bangkok's besieged airports, as anti-government leaders rejected 
last-ditch attempts to negotiate an end to the crisis.

An officer at the domestic Don Muang airport, which was seized late on 
Wednesday, read out an order to protesters a day after Prime Minister 
Somchai Wongsawat declared a state of emergency.

''All protesters must ... leave the rally site otherwise law enforcement 
officers will carry out appropriate and necessary measures to solve the 
situation,'' the order said.

The order came after Somchai, the target of protesters' wrath, dismissed 
the national police chief for the failure of security forces to take any 
action despite his declaration of emergency rule.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE






http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1862722,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-world

Bangkok Braces for Action Against Protesters
By Robert Horn / Bangkok Friday, Nov. 28, 2008

Anti-government protesters set up the barrier in front of Don Mueang 
airport in Bangkok
Sakchai Lalit / AP
Thailand appeared to be bracing for a crackdown on anti-government 
protesters occupying Bangkok's two main airports on Friday evening, as 
riot police gathered near the airfields and a government spokesman 
claimed the administration had international support to use force 
against the demonstrators.
That spokesman's claim was quickly denied by a Thailand-based 
representative of Human Rights Watch, who said the government must act 
responsibly in dealing with the demonstrators.
Several thousands protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy 
have seized New Bangkok International Airport and Don Muang domestic 
airport since Tuesday in an attempt to force the democratically elected 
government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to resign. They claim the 
government's attempts to rewrite the country's constitution will wipe 
away corruption convictions and court cases against the ruling People 
Power Party and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is 
Somchai's brother-in-law.
Rumors already swirling across the country of an imminent military coup 
were further fueled by a spokesman for Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat 
who told The Nation newspaper on Friday that the prime minister would 
remain in the northern city of Chiang Mai because of uncertainty related 
to movements of the armed forces. Tanks were seen in several locations 
around Bangkok on Thursday, but Army Commander in Chief Gen. Anupong 
Paochinda, who urged the prime minister the day before to dissolve 
parliament to hold new elections and the PAD to end its demonstrations, 
denied his forces would topple the government.
Government spokesman Natthawut Saikua said Friday that Thaksin, who fled 
Thailand in August rather than serve a two-year prison sentence for a 
conflict of interest conviction, was ready to make publicly broadcast 
phone calls to supporters around the clock to urge them to fight a coup. 
"If a coup is staged, Thaksin will fight against it along side with 
Thais. He can make phone calls to us 24 hours a day," Natthawut said. 
Thaksin was ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006, but later returned to 
Thailand earlier this year after elections were held.
Meanwhile, the government removed National Police Chief General Gen 
Phatcharawat Wongsuwan on Friday without giving a reason. "Nobody wants 
to have blood on their hands," said Sunai Phasuk, the HRW representative 
in Thailand. He said that the police chief, like the army chief, was 
reluctant to move quickly against the protesters for fear of a 
bloodbath. Police officials had said on Thursday they would begin by 
trying to talk the protesters out of the airports.
Government spokesman Natthawut took a harder line. "I am informed by a 
non-governmental organization that the international human rights 
organizations and foreign diplomats want government to evacuate over 
3,000 tourists to safety first, then the government can do anything with 
the protesters. They will not oppose or question government about it 
actions against the protesters," Natthawut told reporters.
Sunai said that was a distortion of a conversation he had with Natthawut 
in which he told the spokesman that the government had a responsibility 
to maintain law and order, but it couldn't just go into the airport with 
guns and use violence.
The risk of violence appears to be high, as police seized two PAD pickup 
trucks Friday heading to the airport carrying homemade guns and arrested 
the occupants. PAD guards have shot at pro-government supporters who 
pelted PAD members traveling to the airport in recent days. Several PAD 
guards have also been killed or wounded in recent days by grenade 
attacks by government supporters.
"The PAD has become an armed group," Sunai said. While the group's 
guards are armed, most PAD members occupying the airports are not. They 
are a mix of middle-aged women and men, and some parents with children.
Sunai strongly criticized PAD leaders for not demanding that parents 
with children leave the airports, as a police move against the 
protesters was being prepared. "They are getting like Jim Jones," Sunai 
said, referring to the American religious cult leader who led more than 
900 of his followers in a mass suicide in Guyana in 1978.





http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7749399.stm

Wednesday, 26 November 2008

Thai protesters shut down airport

The protesters say they will not leave until the PM resigns
Flights from Thailand's international airport have been suspended after 
hundreds of anti-government protesters stormed the building outside 
Bangkok.
The demonstrators are in full control of Suvarnabhumi airport, leaving 
at least 3,000 passengers stranded.
A BBC correspondent says it is the most dramatic move so far in the 
protesters' campaign to oust the government.
The government is to hold an emergency cabinet meeting, and the head of 
the army is due to make a statement.
There is speculation that the army chief may impose emergency rule.
A leader of the protesters has rejected a government offer of talks to 
end the stand-off.
The head of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), 
Sondhi Limthongul, said his group would only agree to talks if Prime 
Minister Somchai Wongsawat resigned.
A series of small explosions among the PAD protestors on Wednesday 
morning injured several people, underlining the risk of more violent 
clashes with pro-government groups, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in 
Bangkok.
Evacuation
Yellow-shirted protestors from the PAD took over strategic areas of the 
airport, such as the control tower, on Tuesday.
The protesters, who have been occupying a government compound in the 
capital, claim that the government is corrupt and hostile to the monarchy.
They also accused it of being a proxy for former premier Thaksin 
Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, but who critics say is still 
very influential.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is Mr Thaksin's brother-in-law.

AIRPORT SYMBOL

Building the new airport was former PM Thaksin Shinawatra's pet project
Plagued by delays, it opened in 2006, days after Mr Thaksin was 
overthrown in a military coup
Shoddy construction work was used by the military as one of the 
justifications for the coup
Designed by German architect Helmut Jahn, thought to have the world's 
tallest control tower at 132.2m (433.7ft)
One of the busiest airports in Asia

Chaos at seized airport
Q&A: Bangkok protests

The PAD is a loose grouping of royalists, businessmen and the urban 
middle-class opposed to Mr Thaksin.
The protesters had hoped to intercept Mr Somchai as he returned from an 
Asia-Pacific summit in Peru, but his flight has been diverted elsewhere.
Now the PAD says it will keep the airport closed until Mr Somchai resigns.
"We will stay until the government steps down. This government is not 
legitimate," retired university lecturer Sunthorn Kaewlai told the 
Reuters news agency.
The PAD also handed out leaflets to stranded passengers, apologising to 
tourists for the disruption, adding that "the alliance believes the 
measure is crucial to bring an end to the traitorous killer government".
Reports say the authorities have begun evacuating stranded passengers.
However, the evacuation appeared chaotic, with the authorities making no 
announcement, the Agence France Presse news agency reported.
Christopher Persson, from Sweden, spent the night underneath a check-in 
desk.
"I understand the people but the airlines are terrible. They've given us 
no information," he told the Reuters news agency.
Thousands of other passengers spent the night sprawled across suitcases, 
luggage carts and even security conveyor belts.
Provocation?
Airport director Serirat Prasutanon said operations had been "totally 
shut down" since early on Wednesday, and that 78 outbound and incoming 
flights had been affected.
"We are trying to negotiate with them to allow outgoing passengers 
stranded by the protest to fly," he was quoted by the Associated Press 
as saying.
"The incident has damaged Thailand's reputation and its economy beyond 
repair."
Organisers say the protest is a "final battle" to bring down the 
government.
Our correspondent says that the government appears to have followed a 
strategy of allowing the PAD to attack government buildings while 
avoiding clashes, in the hope that it will wear the protesters down.
The government has so far resisted calling in the army. Analysts says it 
is a thinly disguised aim of the PAD to provoke such a move.







http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,458567,00.html

Thailand Wants to Avoid Violence, Negotiate Peacefully With Airport 
Protesters
Friday, November 28, 2008 | FoxNews.com

AP/TPBS


Nov. 25, 2008: A supporter of the People's Alliance for Democracy points 
a revolver during a confrontation in Bangkok, Thailand.

BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand's government backed off Friday from its 
threat to forcibly remove protesters occupying Bangkok's two airports, 
dashing hopes of a quick resolution to a standoff that has stranded 
thousands of travelers and tarnished the country's image.
Government spokesman Nattawut Sai-Kau said police would avoid violence 
and attempt to negotiate with the protesters of the People's Alliance 
for Democracy, which has been campaigning for months to oust the government.
Police have been instructed to get the protesters out of airports "as 
soon as possible" in a "peaceful manner," Nattawut told The Associated 
Press.
"Firstly, the police should open negotiation with the protesters. If 
they refuse to go, police should do whatever is necessary to open the 
airports on the basis of nonviolence," he said.
The comments came hours after Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat declared 
a state of emergency at the Bangkok airports, authorizing police to take 
back the terminals that signaled an imminent crackdown.
The protesters occupied the main international Suvarnabhumi airport on 
Tuesday and the secondary Don Muang airport on Wednesday, forcing both 
facilities to be shut down indefinitely. All flights to the airports 
have been canceled, leaving the capital completely cut off to air 
traffic and stranding thousands of local and foreign travelers.
Among those stranded are Thai Muslims planning to go on pilgrimages to 
Saudi Arabia this week. Thai Airways said it will arrange a special 
flight for about 250 pilgrims from Hat Yai in southern Thailand later 
Friday. More such flights are planned, said Narongsak Sangapong, a 
senior airline official.
On Friday, there was no sign of police at the airport. Cleaning crews in 
uniforms were seen going into the terminal, wading their way through 
hundreds of protesters camped inside and outside the building, to clear 
garbage piling up.
"We were instructed by the government not to use any violent force 
against protesters. We will definitely follow the instructions 
strictly," said national police chief Kowit Wattana.
The government's unwillingness to deploy security forces has raised 
doubts about whether Somchai has the support of police and the army, a 
powerful institution that has traditionally played a key role in the 
country's politics.
Army commander Gen. Anupong Paochinda has so far been neutral in the 
political turmoil, and even urged Somchai to call new elections, 
triggering speculation of a military coup.The whispers were further 
fueled by press reports Thursday of tank movements that the military 
later said were only a training exercise.
In an address to the nation Thursday night to announce the emergency, 
Somchai said that navy and air force personnel would help the police, 
but was vague about any participation by the army, saying only the 
government would also ask the army "to help take care of the people."
The emergency measures also empower the government to suspend some civil 
liberties, including restricting the movement of people and prohibiting 
mass assembly.
Emergency was declared once before in the three months since the 
protesters seized the prime minister's office, but there was no move to 
take advantage of its provisions, apparently because the army was 
reluctant to take on the alliance, which at the time enjoyed greater 
popularity.
The protesters remained defiant on Friday.
"We are ready to defend ourselves against any government's operations to 
get us out of those places," Parnthep Wongpuapan, a spokesman of the 
People's Alliance for Democracy, told the AP.
"We are going to stay at the airports until Somchai resigns," he said.
Protesters at the international airport donned goggles and helmets, and 
first aid stations handed out surgical masks in anticipation of a police 
raid. The group's "guards" were patrolling the area with slingshots and 
metal batons. Many also carry concealed handguns.
Speakers from a makeshift stage repeatedly yelled: "Are you scared?" The 
crowd roared back: "We're not scared!"
They alliance's protest grew out of its hatred of former Prime Minister 
Thaksin Shinawatra, a brother-in-law of Somchai. Thaksin was ousted in a 
bloodless military coup in September 2006 after months of protests by 
the alliance.
It accused Thaksin and his allies of corruption and abuse of power. 
Thaksin is in exile, a fugitive from a conviction for violating a 
conflict of interest law. The group says Somchai is merely a Thaksin 
puppet and should go.
However, Somchai has stood his ground, saying his departure would be a 
blow to democracy.
In his televised address, Somchai accused the alliance of "holding the 
country hostage and the public hostage." Somchai has been in the 
pro-government stronghold of Chiang Main in the north since he returned 
from a summit in Peru on Wednesday.
The protests, which gathered pace three months ago when demonstrators 
overran the prime minister's offices, have paralyzed the government, 
battered the stock market, spooked foreign investors and dealt a serious 
blow to the tourism industry.
The Bangkok Post quoted experts as saying that the damage from the 
airport shutdown could range between $3.7 billion and $6 billion if the 
standoff extends to December. The meeting and convention business has 
already suffered losses of $310 million, it said.






http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/392834/1/.html

ASEAN head travels to protest-hit Thailand to "clarify" summit
Posted: 28 November 2008 1306 hrs

Surin Pitsuwan

BANGKOK: The secretary general of Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN said Friday 
that he had travelled to Thailand to assess whether the kingdom was 
still able to host a summit as protests shutter the main airports.

Speaking by phone to AFP as he made his way overland to Bangkok, 
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) head Surin Pitsuwan - a 
former Thai foreign minister - said the final decision lay with the Thai 
government.

"Part of my trip here is to discuss the ASEAN summit with the Thai 
government. I have to listen to the Thai government first," he said.

"The Thai government should make a decision on its readiness and the 
internal situation."

Surin has been in Singapore, and said he was travelling overland from 
Penang, Malaysia, which is near the Thai border.

Current ASEAN chair Thailand has insisted it will go ahead with the 
December summit in the northern city of Chiang Mai, even as 
anti-government protesters stepped up a six-month campaign to topple the 
prime minister.

They swarmed the main Suvarnabhumi airport on Tuesday and shut it down, 
and on Thursday, the smaller Don Mueang was also forced to shut its 
doors when protesters surrounded it, cutting almost all air travel in 
and out of Bangkok.

Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have raised the possibility of postponing the 
ASEAN summit due to the worsening political crisis in the country.

In a statement late Thursday out of Singapore, the ASEAN secretariat 
said Surin would "clarify this matter with Thailand."

Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat declared emergency rule at the two 
airports on Thursday to try to rein in the protests, after holding a 
special cabinet meeting in Chiang Mai to discuss the escalating turmoil.

He has rejected calls by the army chief to hold new elections.

Thailand announced in late October that the ASEAN summit would be moved 
from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, a government stronghold.

The government said it was because of northern Thailand's cooler 
climate, but the anti-government protests are believed to be a key factor.

- AFP/yb







http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Second_Bangkok_airport_closed,_protests_continue?curid=117224

Second Bangkok airport closed, protests continue
 From Wikinews, the free news source you can write!
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Friday, November 28, 2008
Following on from Tuesday night's invasion of Bangkok's new 
international airport, Suvarnabhumi, the People's Alliance for Democracy 
(PAD) has now taken over the Thai capital's old Don Mueang International 
Airport, forcing the Thai authorities to shut it down. The expansion of 
the protest at Don Mueang is reported to be a move to prevent cabinet 
ministers flying to Chiang Mai for a meeting with the Prime Minister, 
Somchai Wongsawat.
The closure of the Don Mueang airport saw 3,000 PAD supporters gathered 
outside Don Mueang airport, although there were no passengers inside the 
terminal, as the last flight had arrived a few hours earlier. The 
airport operates a few domestic flights, and was the only airport left 
serving Bangkok after protesters swarmed the main airport earlier this 
week, forcing flights from there to be suspended.
"I authorised Don Mueang's director-general to close the airport from 
midnight. It is closed indefinitely until normalcy is restored," said 
the president of operator Airports of Thailand, Saererat Prasutanond, 
speaking in a televised address. "The two airports that serve Bangkok 
are completely closed."
A Thai court has ordered the demonstrators occupying the Suvarnabhumi 
airport to leave, but the protesters say that they will stay until the 
government resigns. The closures of the airports come at the height of 
the tourist season, and threatens the tourist industry, which is one of 
Thailand's largest earners.






http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200811270556DOWJONESDJONLINE000473_univ.xml

Protest-Hit Thailand Clears Airlines To Use Naval Base11-27-08 5:56 AM 
EST | E-mail Article | Print Article
BANGKOK (AFP)--Thai aviation authorities on Thursday gave airlines 
permission to use a naval base in the country's east after protesters 
blocked off both of Bangkok's airports.
Several planes had already landed at the U-Tapao air base after 
demonstrators seized the Don Mueang domestic airport Thursday and the 
main Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday night.
"It's already begun," said Chaisak Angkasuwan, director general of the 
Civil Aviation Department, referring to the use of the air base.
"Many flights have landed there and I have authorized more than 20 
airlines to utilize U-Tapao airport."
The protests have left thousands of passengers stranded in Thailand, 
with about 3,000 of them having to spend the night in Suvarnabhumi 
before they were evacuated Wednesday.
Chaisak said he had asked immigration and customs to reinforce their 
staff at U-Tapao, which is located in the eastern province of Rayong and 
operated by the Thai Navy.
Thai Airways International said its Bangkok-Los Angeles flight landed at 
U- Tapao early Thursday.






http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7013210890
Thai Cabinet Declares State Of Emergency, Orders Police To Remove 
Protesters At Airports
ShareThis
November 27, 2008 8:19 p.m. EST
AHN Staff
Bangkok, Thailand (AHN) - Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat on 
Thursday declared a temporary state of emergency at Bangkok's two main 
airports and ordered the police to remove protesters occupying the said 
terminals since Tuesday.
The prime minister declared the emergency in a televised speech after 
meeting cabinet officials in his hometown in Chiang Mai in northern 
Thailand. "It is wrong for protesters to take the entire Thai nation 
hostage.
The government is not intending to hurt anybody but is just facilitating 
authorities' works, and the emergency will be temporary," TNA quoted the 
prime minister as saying.
Flights at the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports have been suspended 
while travelers have been stranded in the two terminals after thousands 
of members and supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) 
stormed and occupied the airports in a bid to paralyze the government of 
Wongsawat and force him to resign.
The PAD is accusing the leader of acting as a proxy of ousted former 
prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Wongsawat is a brother-in-law of 
Shinawatra, who is in Britain seeking political asylum.
PAD leader Suriyasai Katasila said his group will ask the Supreme Court 
to revoke state of emergency and order to remove them from the airports. 
He added that the protesters will not leave the airport until Wongsawat 
resigns.





http://story.australianherald.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/c08dd24cec417021/id/435543/cs/1/

Thai police preparing for battle with protestors
Australian Herald
Thursday 27th November, 2008
In Thailand, riot police have been put on stand-by to clear the city's 
airports of thousands of opposition protesters.

On Thursday, the Thai Prime Minister declared a state of emergency as 
air traffic to Thailand was re-routed to a naval base in the east of the 
country.
Bangkok's international Suvarnabhumi airport, which is occupied by 
anti-government protesters, will remain closed at least until Saturday.

The protesters have also stormed and occupied Bangkok's old airport of 
Don Muang, which is mainly used for domestic flights.

People's Alliance of Democracy protestors have now erected road blocks 
of razor wire and crash barriers on the expressway leading to the 
Suvarnabhumi International Airport to stave off any police action.

Men, armed with sticks and metal bars, have been checking cars entering 
the area.

For a second consecutive night, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat spoke 
to the nation from the northern city of Chiang Mai, which is known to be 
populated by government supporters.

During a television address, he told the people that he would imposed a 
temporary emergency decree in and around both airports in Bangkok.

He said he needed to restore peace and order to bring stability back to 
the tourism-driven economy.

He said he had put the police in charge of the operation, and would call 
on the military in if there was any trouble.

A similar call in September to dislodge People's Alliance of Democracy 
protesters occupying Government House was ignored by the army.

The military leadership has been at odds with Mr Somchai after the Chief 
of the Army, General Anupong Paochinda, backed calls for a dissolution 
of parliament and new elections.

The PAD have refused to end their sit-ins, which has stranded thousands 
of foreign tourists and halted the processing of millions of dollars of 
air cargo.

The group has also threatened to expand the movement's six-month 
campaign by bringing Bangkok's traffic network to a halt with flying 
protests at dozens of motorway intersections.

The tension in Thailand has arisen due to political rifts between the 
Bangkok elite and middle classes who despise former Prime Minister, 
Thaksin Shinawatra, and the majority rural and urban poor, who support him.

The current prime minister is Thaksin’s brother-in-law.

Somchai is believed to be a proxy for Thaksin policies, delivered from 
overseas, where the former PM is in exile after being convicted in 
Thailand on criminal charges.






http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2008/11/27/thai_government_protesters_reject_armys_plan/

Thai government, protesters reject army's plan
General's call for an end to crisis falls short
By Chris Blake and Ambika Ahuja
Associated Press / November 27, 2008
BANGKOK - A call by Thailand's powerful army commander to end the 
country's deepening political crisis was rebuffed yesterday, as the 
prime minister rejected his suggestion to step down, and protesters 
refused to end their occupation of the country's main airport.
Early today, Thai authorities closed a second airport after protesters 
stormed the terminal.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat justified his stance, saying he came to 
power through elections and has "a job to protect democracy for the 
people of Thailand." He spoke from the northern city of Chiang Mai, a 
stronghold of government supporters.
His rejection of Army General Anupong Paochinda's plan seemed to put him 
on a collision course with the military, although the general has said 
he would not launch a coup.
The anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy insisted it would 
continue its airport occupation and other protest activities until 
Somchai resigns. It rejected the general's proposal for new elections, 
pushing instead for the appointment of a temporary government.
As the deadlock continued, political violence spread yesterday to Chiang 
Mai, where government supporters attacked a radio station aligned with 
the protesters. Separately, there were unconfirmed reports that one man 
was killed and several people assaulted in an attack on the city's local 
airport.
However, it was the occupation of the international Suvarnabhumi 
Airport, just outside the capital Bangkok, that put the world on notice 
of the turmoil that has reduced Thailand to a dysfunctional nation.
European Union and Britain's Foreign Office both issued statements of 
concern about the political situation.
Thousands of travelers were stranded in Bangkok when members of the 
alliance swarmed the airport Tuesday night, forcing a halt to virtually 
all outgoing flights.
Several thousands passengers were bused to city hotels yesterday to 
await developments, but many other passengers spent a second night at 
the airport after a day of behind-the-scenes negotiations failed. All 
flights have been suspended until further notice.
Some travelers took the inconvenience in stride.
"It's really horrible to be delayed and I'm missing my friend and 
things, but the local people have given us food, offered us drinks, and 
the airport's actually quite a nice place at the moment," said Andy Du 
Bois-Barclay, an English traveler .
Protesters were also occupying late yesterday the passenger terminal at 
the older and smaller Don Muang airport, which appeared to effectively 
cut off civilian aviation services to the Thai capital.
The protest alliance accuses Somchai of acting as the puppet for former 
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a September 2006 
military coup after being accused of corruption and abuse of power. 
Thaksin is in exile, a fugitive from a conviction for violating a 
conflict of interest law. Somchai is Thaksin's brother-in-law.
PAD, as the protest alliance is known, launched its current campaign on 
Aug. 26 with a failed attempt to take over a government television 
station, after which they stormed the grounds of the prime minister's 
office, which they continue to use as their stronghold.
They prepared for their "final showdown" Sunday in an almost festive 
atmosphere at their Government House stronghold. Even as they pushed 
through police lines Monday to blockade parliament and the temporary 
government office at Don Muang airport, crowds remained relaxed as 
police yielded to them.
The situation soured Tuesday, with scattered violence between political 
rivals in different parts of Bangkok. At one point, government 
supporters threw rocks at a truckload of alliance members, who shot back 
with pistols and then chased and beat their attackers.
Skirmishes continued in several spots Tuesday night and yesterday, 
leaving more than a dozen people hurt.
"It is no secret that the PAD are armed with guns, bombs, knives, and 
wooden batons. They constantly break the law with impunity," said Ji 
Ungpakorn, an associate professor of political science at Bangkok's 
Chulalongkorn University.






http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/world/story/45319C7E080AE4558625750E0010E00C?OpenDocument

BANGKOK, THAILAND: Protests force closure of second airport

27/11/2008

Thai authorities have closed a second airport in the capital after 
anti-government protesters stormed the terminal.

The country's main international airport has been closed since early 
Wednesday because of tens of thousands of protesters laying virtual 
siege on the terminal in their push for the government's resignation.







http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081127043620.40mkk7rw&show_article=1

Thai protesters take second airport as both sides defy army

Nov 26 11:36 PM US/Eastern Comments (0)

Thai anti-government protesters shut down a second Bangkok airport on 
Thursday, isolating the capital, as both sides in the dispute defied a 
call from the army chief to end the turmoil.
Supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) started massing 
at the old Don Mueang airport late Wednesday, aiming to prevent 
ministers from flying to Chiang Mai in the north to meet Prime Minister 
Somchai Wongsawat.

"I authorised Don Mueang's director-general to close the airport from 
midnight. It is closed indefinitely until normalcy is restored," 
Saererat Prasutanond, president of operator Airports of Thailand, told 
Thai television.
"The two airports that serve Bangkok are completely closed."
A fresh gunbattle also broke out at a Bangkok protest site a day after 
an anti-government activist was killed, police said, heightening fears 
that tensions between rival groups could explode into widespread bloodshed.
Somchai on Wednesday refused to heed pressure from powerful army chief 
General Anupong Paojinda to dissolve parliament and call elections.
Anupong also ordered protesters to leave Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi 
International Airport , which they besieged late Tuesday forcing the 
airport to suspend flights and leaving 3,000 tourists temporarily 
trapped inside.
In open defiance of his calls, the protesters instead blockaded Don 
Mueang, which serves a handful of domestic routes. It is also the site 
of Somchai's temporary offices, since his own premises were seized by 
protesters in August.
The PAD launched their campaign to topple the democratically-elected 
People Power Party (PPP) government six months ago, accusing it of being 
a puppet of ousted and exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is banned 
from politics.
Somchai -- Thaksin's brother-in-law -- landed in Chiang Mai on Wednesday 
evening from Peru, where he had been attending a conference. He has 
called a cabinet meeting for later Thursday.
The premier has refused to yield to the pressure from the army chief, 
saying: "my government will preserve democracy."
The PAD, meanwhile, has vowed to stay at three protest sites -- 
Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang and Somchai's Government House offices in 
central Bangkok -- until the premier quits.
"The PPP has repeated its slogan of no house dissolution, no 
resignation. The PAD will repeat our slogan: no pull out and we are not 
going home," PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila told reporters late 
Wednesday.
At Suvarnabhumi, thousands of PAD supporters clad in their signature 
yellow clothes -- symbolising support for the revered king -- massed 
outside listening to rousing songs.
Others freshened up for the day in the airport toilets.
Thai television reported that a court ordered the approximately 8,000 
PAD supporters to end their occupation of Suvarnabhumi Airport -- the 
17th busiest in the world -- but they appeared entrenched.
Of the 3,000 tourists who were stranded and spent a night sleeping on 
trolleys and crates, most were evacuated Wednesday afternoon. No 
passengers were in Don Mueang when it was seized.
Also Thursday, provincial police confirmed that a man killed in Chiang 
Mai on Wednesday was the father of a local PAD leader. The 60-year-old 
was shot dead when a gun fight erupted between pro- and anti-government 
groups.
Shooting broke out again early Thursday outside the Government House 
protest site in Bangkok's historic district. Emergency services said no 
one was hurt.
The outbursts of violence between rival groups have raised fears of 
escalating unrest.
"Certainly there will be bloodshed because protesters have refused to 
cave in," said Manit Jitchanklab, a pro-government activist, labelling 
the PAD "guerrillas."







http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200811261116DOWJONESDJONLINE000713_univ.xml

Thai Court Orders Protesters To End Airport Siege - Report11-26-08 11:16 
AM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article
BANGKOK (AFP)--A Thai court on Wednesday ordered thousands of 
anti-government protesters to end their occupation of Bangkok's 
international airport, a government-run television station said.

Bangkok civil court issued an injunction for the eviction of the 
protesters from Suvarnabhumi Airport "to protect other people's rights," 
the National Broadcasting Service of Thailand said.
Protesters overran the two-year-old airport, a major Southeast Asian 
transport hub for millions of travellers, on Tuesday night to press 
their demand for the resignation of the government.
"Demonstrations are guaranteed under the constitution but must not 
violate other people's rights and freedom," the channel said, reading 
out the court injunction.
A similar injunction in late August ordering demonstrators to leave the 
prime minister's offices at Government House in Bangkok was later 
overturned by the court of appeal.






http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200811261008DOWJONESDJONLINE000656_univ.xml

One Killed In Clash Between Thai Protest Groups - Police11-26-08 10:08 
AM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article
BANGKOK (AFP)--A man was killed in a clash between pro- and 
anti-government supporters in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai 
Wednesday, shortly after the prime minister arrived in the city, police 
said.

Fighting between the rival groups broke out after premier Somchai 
Wongsawat flew in from a foreign trip to receive the news that the army 
chief had asked him to call elections in a bid to end months of 
political protests.
"There was an argument between a red-shirt group and a yellow group in 
front of the radio station and a man was attacked and killed," 
Lieutenant Colonel Atipong Thongdaeng of Chiang Mai police told AFP.
He said it was not clear whether the victim was from a pro-government 
group, which usually wear red clothes, or if he was part of the movement 
against Somchai's administration, which is often clad in yellow.






http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,592906,00.html

11/26/2008

ORDERLY CHAOS
Thai Protesters Refuse to Clear out of Bangkok Airport
By Thilo Thielke
The occupation of the Bangkok airport by anti-government protesters 
continues on Wednesday evening. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has 
rejected army calls for new elections.
The young men manning the barricades at the Suvarnabhumi International 
Airport in Bangkok are wrapped in scarves, wear sunglasses and are armed 
with wooden clubs. And most who try to pass on Wednesday are being 
turned away. Only journalists are let through, along with pick-ups which 
periodically speed past carrying water.
The water is for the thousands of anti-government protesters that have 
occupied the airport terminals a few hundred meters behind the 
barbed-wire barricades. Late on Tuesday night, demonstrators stormed the 
check-in hall and brought all air traffic to a standstill. All flights 
have been cancelled and the airline counters are vacant. There is 
likewise no sign of immigration officials, security personnel, police or 
military. The facility has fallen completely under the control of the 
anti-government protest movement, says a spokesman for the People's 
Alliance for Democracy, the group which is behind the airport occupation.
On Wednesday, the demonstrators continued solidifying their hold on the 
building. According to one airport employee, armed protestors wielding 
iron rods were even trying to force their way into the tower.
The protest is aimed squarely at Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. For 
months, the People's Alliance for Democracy has sought to topple his 
government, seeing him as little more than a puppet of his predecessor 
Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was convicted on corruption charges in 
October and sentenced in abstentia to two years behind bars. The group 
has staged a number of dramatic protests in recent months including 
taking over the prime minister's office in August and blockading parliament.
Demonstrators turned to the airport because Somchai was scheduled to 
touch down there today after a trip to the APEC summit in Peru. (He was 
re-routed to an airport in northern Thailand and has since landed.) And 
yet, even though the airport has been shut down, the chaos has something 
of an order to it. The demonstrators, mostly dressed in yellow, have 
clearly learned from their months of protests.
They also look as though they plan to be staying for a while, despite 
calls from the military for them to leave. Many have spread out straw 
mats or set up cots -- some even have extra mats for sale. Lunch packets 
were handed out, complete with crackers, sandwiches, water and coffee. 
In front of the check-in hall, others are waving the Thai flag and 
giving speeches through megaphones.
Thousands of tourists were unwittingly caught up in the demonstration; 
according to airport personnel, close to 3,000 were trapped. Early on 
Wednesday, there were still hundreds of them in the check-in hall, 
waiting patiently in line to be registered by the few representatives of 
the Thai tourism bureau still on duty. They were then bused to hotels in 
the city center.
"We were completely overrun," said Robert Wolfer, who was brought to the 
airport by his daughter early on Wednesday morning. He had just spent 
two weeks on the resort island of Ko Samui and had heard little of the 
crisis. On Wednesday, Wolfer, from Switzerland, wanted to head back to 
Zürich. "I have no idea how I will get out of here," he told SPIEGEL 
ONLINE. Franz and Anna Sparber are also stranded. From northern Italy, 
the couple were set to transfer in Bangkok on their way from Bali back 
home. Now, they say, they are a little afraid about what might happen next.
The Thai tourism industry stands to suffer immensely from the 
demonstration. Already, numerous travel agencies across Germany and 
Europe have cancelled trips to Thailand through the end of the week. 
Also those who had planned to transfer in Bangkok have seen their 
flights cancelled.
NEWSLETTER
Sign up for Spiegel Online's daily newsletter and get the best of Der 
Spiegel's and Spiegel Online's international coverage in your In- Box 
everyday.
What happens next at the Bangkok airport is unclear. The head of 
Thailand's army Anupong Paojinda called on the demonstrators to leave 
the airport, but was rebuffed. He also called for Prime Minister Somchai 
to step aside and call new elections, but the government rejected his 
call. The army chief was careful to emphasize that there was no putsch 
planned. "We are not putting pressure on the government," he said, "but 
the government should give the people a chance to make their decision in 
new elections."
The comments from the army head quickly made the rounds among the 
demonstrators at the airport. But the atmosphere of peace there remained 
somewhat uneasy. Earlier, unidentified attackers threw a number of 
explosives at the anti-government activists. One of them exploded near a 
group not far from the airport. Another blew up at the domestic airport 
Don Muang, injuring three according to police reports. In downtown 
Bangkok, two further explosives went off.
During clashes between pro and anti-government protesters on Tuesday, 11 
people were injured. And there may be more such clashes in the future. 
The governing party on Wednesday called for large-scale, pro-government 
marches. "I challenge our people today to go out on the street and show 
what they think of this putsch," said Jatuport Propman, a member of 
Prime Minister Somchai's party and the leader of a major pro-government 
organization.






http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=6337044

Protesters Force Second Thai Airport to Shut Down
Thailand shuts down second airport as prime minister refuses protesters' 
demands that he quit
By VIJAY JOSHI Associated Press Writer
BANGKOK, Thailand November 26, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press
Thousands of passengers stranded after Thai protesters take airport.
Thai authorities shut down Bangkok's second airport Thursday after it 
was overrun by anti-government protesters, completely cutting off the 
capital from air traffic as the prime minister rejected their demands to 
resign, deepening the country's crisis.
Thailand's powerful army commander, who has remained neutral in the 
conflict, stepped into the fray Wednesday, urging Prime Minister Somchai 
Wongsawat to step down.
He also asked thousands of protesters to end their siege of the main 
international Suvarnabhumi airport. It has been shut since Tuesday 
night, leaving hundreds of flights canceled and drawing world attention 
to a turmoil that has reduced Thailand to a dysfunctional nation.
The anti-government protests, which gathered pace four months ago, have 
paralyzed the government, battered the stock market, spooked foreign 
investors and dealt a serious blow to the tourism industry.





http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/mhidqlsncwcw/rss2/

Tourist chaos as protestors force Thai airport shutdown

26/11/2008 - 06:37:47
Thailand’s main international airport cancelled all flights today as 
protesters thronged the complex in an effort to bring down the government.

Thousands of tourists, were stranded by the invasion, which dealt a 
major blow to the country’s already fragile tourism industry.

The airport takeover was one of the boldest gambles yet by the People’s 
Alliance for Democracy in its four-month campaign to topple prime 
minister Somchai Wongsawat, whom it accuses of being the puppet of a 
disgraced fugitive predecessor, billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra.

Exhausted travellers were sleeping everywhere – on their suitcases, 
luggage trolleys, security conveyer belts and behind vacated check-in 
counters.

Protesters dressed in yellow shirts walked around distributing food, ham 
sandwiches and packets of rice.

The alliance vowed to bring its campaign to a final showdown this week 
and violence has increased, including streets clashes between supporters 
and opponents of the government that included the first open use of 
firearms by the anti-government protesters.

Police said 11 government supporters were injured, some with gunshot wounds.

Four small bombs exploded near the airport and Don Muanh domestic 
airport, which is also in the city. The explosions were reported in the 
early hours of today.

Demonstrators – some masked and armed with metal rods – had swarmed the 
international airport overnight, breaking through police lines and 
spilling into the passenger terminal.

Several anti-government protesters armed with metal rods entered and 
briefly held the airport's control tower, demanding the prime minister's 
flight schedule.

Group Captain Chokchai Saranon, a control tower official, said 50 
protesters demanded to enter the empty control tower at Suvarnabhumi but 
only three were allowed up by security officials.

He said the protesters at the control tower eventually left.

The airport was fully shut down today, resulting in 292 flights being 
cancelled and stranding thousands of passengers.

“The incident has damaged Thailand’s reputation and its economy beyond 
repair.” airport director Serirat Prasutanont said. “However, we are 
trying to negotiate them to allow outgoing passengers stranded by the 
protest to fly."

The alliance said the airport would be shut down until Mr Somchai quits. 
The prime minister was due to return later from an Asia-Pacific summit 
in Peru and would land at a military airport, officials said.






http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/26/2430615.htm?section=world

Thousands evacuated from Bangkok airport
By South East Asia correspondent Karen Percy
Posted Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:37pm AEDT
Updated Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:37pm AEDT

Stand-off: Anti-government protesters block Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi 
international airport (Reuters: Sukree Sukplang)
Thai authorities have begun evacuating thousands of passengers who have 
been stranded at Bangkok's international airport after anti-government 
protesters stormed the terminal, forcing the airport to close.
Hundreds of weary travellers have been herded out of the arrivals area 
on to buses provided by the airport's operator.
Earlier, the protesters took over the control tower. All flights have 
been suspended and Thai Airways says 16 flights have been diverted to 
the old airport north of the capital.
The demonstrators are trying to oust Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat 
and his government.
The leader of a pro-government group has urged supporters to march in 
Bangkok, raising the prospect of street clashes with anti-government 
protesters.
The Thai army chief is due to hold a media conference this evening.






http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/26/peoples-alliance-for-democracy

Rioting protesters close Bangkok airport
• Demonstrators rampage with bats and clubs
• Anti-government party hopes to provoke coup
• Ian MacKinnon and agencies in Bangkok
• The Guardian, Wednesday 26 November 2008
• Article history
Ian MacKinnon: "It's generally very good natured" Link to this video
International flights to and from Thailand's main airport were halted 
last night after rampaging anti-government protesters surged through 
police cordons and stormed the sprawling terminal.
The airports' authority said it had no choice but to close Bangkok's 
Suvarnabhumi airport as the yellow-shirted protesters carrying iron bars 
smashed doors and roamed the concourses.
The demonstrators from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which 
is dedicated to bringing down the prime minister, caused mayhem across 
Bangkok as they fired on government supporters and left 11 injured, one 
critically.
A PAD spokesman said last night that a bomb had been thrown at a group 
of its supporters outside the terminal, injuring three people.
Police lieutenant Suthep Wongsaeng said it was unclear what type of 
explosives were used in the early morning attack at the Don Muang 
Airport, nor who was responsible.
The closure of the international hub, which hosts 14.5 million tourists 
each year, is one of the most disruptive actions the group has staged in 
six months of protests that have unseated one prime minister and two 
ministers.


Ian MacKinnon at Bangkok airport
Link to this audio
Last night leaders of the anti-democratic PAD vowed to keep the airport 
closed until the prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat, who is due to arrive 
home from an official trip today, resigns. His spokesman said he would 
not land at Suvarnabhumi.
The airport diverted incoming flights to Phuket, Chiang Mai and 
Singapore, after the departure area had to be closed because hordes of 
protesters pushed through lines of riot police, who were under orders 
not to use violence. Many demonstrators wore masks and goggles and 
attacked waiting taxi drivers with bats and golf clubs, before moving 
inside.
"There were a lot of people armed with sticks and baseball bats," said a 
Belgian tourist, Ben Creemers. "They looked ready for a fight."
The protesters, waving Thai flags and portraits of King Bhumibol 
Adulyadej, had blocked the motorway to the airport earlier. Many 
passengers had to drag heavy suitcases miles to the terminal in the hope 
of catching their flights, while others turned back or waited vainly by 
taxis.
The airport siege capped a dramatic second day of protest - billed as a 
"final showdown" - that saw violent clashes and several other mass 
protests designed to disrupt the government.
Earlier tens of thousands of PAD supporters picketed Bangkok's old Don 
Muang airport, which has become the temporary seat of power since the 
anti-government demonstrators occupied the prime minister's office in 
Bangkok last August. The protesters surrounded the airport's VIP 
building prevent a cabinet meeting yesterday, though no ministers 
appeared after the discussions were postponed.
A day earlier there were similar scenes outside parliament, which was 
besieged by tens of thousands of protesters even as that session was 
cancelled. There, too, police melted away as the authorities feared a 
repeat of clashes last month that left two demonstrators dead.
But yesterday some of the PAD mob made their way to Bangkok's army 
headquarters, where they believed the postponed cabinet meeting would be 
held.
Others, riding in a lorry, were ambushed on a Bangkok highway by 
government supporters who threw stones and poles. The PAD fought back 
with stones, bars and catapults. At least two men were seen firing 
revolvers at their rivals. Hospital officials said 11 pro-government 
supporters were injured, eight with gunshot wounds.
Earlier the PAD had urged government staff to strike to support their 
demand.
The PAD's desperate tactics are aimed at provoking the army to mount 
another coup - following that which deposed Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006 - 
as a way to unseat the government. But the PAD's extreme actions are 
alarming its broader base and polls show support for it is dwindling.






http://www.smh.com.au/news/travel/we-control-bangkok-airport-protesters/2008/11/26/1227491584334.html

We control Bangkok airport: protesters

Trouble in Thailand ... a passenger sleeps on his suitcase at 
Suvarnabhumi airport, top left, a man fires a gun on pro-government 
activists in a screengrab taken from Thai TV, top right, and 
anti-government protesters sit in front of the departure terminal at 
Suvarnabhumi airport, bottom.

Latest related coverage
Stranded passengers angry
November 26, 2008
Page 1 of 3 | Single page
Thai anti-government protesters say they completely control Bangkok's 
international airport and that airlines must seek their direct 
permission to land at the facility.
--------------
Are you in Thailand? Do you know more? Message 0424 SMS SMH (+61 424 767 
764) or email us with information or images.
--------------
"The PAD has completely taken control of Suvarnabhumi Airport so any 
airline that wants to take off or land must seek permission from us 
directly,'' said Chaiwat Sinswuwong, one of the leaders of the People's 
Alliance for Democracy.
"We have allowed one flight for the Hajj (Muslim pilgrimage) to take 
off, but not others'' he added.
Staff had been asked to leave the control tower at the airport because 
of the closure, said Puttawan Noirod, a spokeswoman for Aeronautical 
Radio of Thailand, which controls air traffic across the country.
"First Airports of Thailand told us that the airport would be closed 
until midday but then they informed us that the airport will not operate 
the rest of the day," Puttawan told AFP.
Australia's acting Foreign Minister Simon Crean says the duration of the 
closure is not known at this stage.
The development comes after a second day of demonstrations in Bangkok 
descended into violence, with 11 injured in clashes.
Singapore Airlines cancelled all its flights to and from Bangkok as a 
result of today's situation.
The airline said it would try to book affected customers on later 
flights once the airport resumed normal operation.
Serirat Prasutanont, the director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, said earlier 
the airport has been temporarily closed since 4am (8am AEDT) after 
protesters stormed the complex late and all flights had been cancelled.
As many as 500 passengers have been stranded because of the closure, he 
said.
It was unclear how many flights have been cancelled, but Serirat said 
some incoming flights are being diverted to other airports in Thailand 
including Don Muang, Chiang Mai and Phuket.
"We have to close the airport because of (alliance) protesters blocked 
the entire airport,'' Serirat said.
"However, we are trying to negotiate them to allow outgoing passengers 
stranded by the protest to fly.''
Qantas said none of its passengers were stranded at the airport as no 
Qantas flights were due to depart from there today.






http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D94L6NEO0&show_article=1

Thai protesters block Parliament, postpone session+

Nov 24 03:50 AM US/Eastern Comments (0)

BANGKOK, Nov. 24 (AP) - (Kyodo)—(EDS: UPDATING WITH MORE INFO)
Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters on Monday blocked 
Parliament and other government buildings, forcing the postponement of a 
joint session of both houses.
House of Representatives Speaker Chai Chidchob announced the 
postponement, saying the session will be put off until the "political 
situation returns to normal."

"We are trying to negotiate with all concerned parties including the 
PAD, the opposition and the government," he told reporters by telephone 
from Parliament.
Chai also urged the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy to 
keep in mind the country's interests, saying Thailand will suffer 
greatly if the government cannot sign agreements with other countries 
because Parliament cannot legislate.
PAD protesters also blocked the nearby Metropolitan Police Bureau, while 
some of them marched to the Finance Ministry and staged a protest there. 
The Finance Ministry and Metropolitan Police Bureau were in darkness 
when the PAD cut electricity lines to the buildings.
The protesters later in the afternoon pulled out from Parliament but 
vowed to come back if Chai calls the houses into session.
The protesters later headed to Don Muang Airport, where the interim 
prime minister's office is located, to interrupt a Cabinet meeting. 
Protestors have been occupying the prime minister's offices at 
Government House since late August.
Deputy government spokeswoman Suparat Nakboonnam said the special 
Cabinet meeting had to end when the protestors approached. Suparat added 
the government believes that police and military can deal with the 
protesters.
"The government will be patient as much as we can, because we don't want 
to make the situation worse, which is PAD's target," she said.
One of the PAD leaders, Pipob Thongchai, said the PAD succeeded in its 
aim of forcing the postponement of the parliamentary session. He said he 
is confident that the movement will succeed within a week in toppling 
the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.
In a "final showdown" called by their leaders, PAD members vowed to stop 
political and economic activities, especially Parliament's joint 
session, which was to discuss amending the 2007 Constitution.
Chai said earlier that the joint session would not discuss the 
Constitution, but the PAD insisted it does not believe his statement. 
The PAD opposes any revision of the Constitution, saying changes would 
benefit the government.
About 2,000 police were deployed in the Royal Plaza and Parliament on 
Sunday, but they were told not to use tear gas or weapons to deal with 
the protesters.
On Oct. 7, several thousand demonstrators attempted to block access by 
lawmakers to Parliament, which led to a clash with security forces that 
left one dead and some 500 injured.
Early Monday, there were small explosions near the office of a media 
company owned by Sonthi Limthongkul, who is one of the PAD leaders, but 
no one was injured.
PAD leaders called the latest showdown after two of its members were 
killed in separate grenade attacks inside the government compound over 
the past month.
The PAD began its antigovernment protests May 25, accusing the 
government led by then Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej of being a 
political proxy of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who 
skipped bail in August to avoid corruption charges.
The protesters moved into the compound of Government House on Aug. 26 
and have occupied it since then, even after Samak was unseated by the 
Constitutional Court in early September.





http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2008/11/2008112562125769985.html

Protesters besiege Thai PM's office

PAD campaigners say the government is too closely tied to former PM 
Thaksin [AFP]
Anti-government protesters in Thailand have switched the focus of their 
demonstrations to the government's temporary offices as they continue 
efforts to topple the elected administration.
On Tuesday thousands of protesters surrounded Bangkok's old Don Muang 
airport, from where Somchai Wongsawat, the prime minister, and his 
cabinet have run the country since protesters occupied Government House 
in August.
Protest leaders said their aim was to block the government from meeting.
"We'll protest until there is no cabinet meeting," said a protest 
leader, Somsak Kosaisuk. "We'll interrupt their every attempt to ruin 
the country further."
But a government spokesman told the AFP news agency said the weekly 
cabinet meeting normally scheduled for Tuesday was not taking place as 
the prime minister had not yet returned from the Apec summit in Peru.
"The cabinet meeting was rescheduled on Wednesday afternoon after prime 
minister Somchai arrives from Lima. The government has not cancelled or 
postponed its meeting," Nattawut Saikuar said.
Six-month campaign
The protest came a day after supporters of the anti-government People's 
Alliance for Democracy (PAD) surrounded the Thai parliament building, 
forcing MPs to postpone a joint session.
Tensions soared last week after a demonstrator was killed and several 
others injured in a grenade attack on a PAD protest camp in the ground 
of Government House.
The PAD – a loose alliance of royalists, academics and businessmen - 
accuses the government elected in December last year of being tainted by 
corruption and of being a puppet of Thaksin Shinawatra, the exiled 
former prime minister who was ousted in a 2006 coup.
PAD leaders have called the latest protests the "final battle" in their 
six-month campaign to unseat the People Power Party, which has close 
ties to Thaksin.
Unions had said they would call a nationwide strike on Tuesday if the 
government did not quit, but the threatened walkout did not materialise.
The ongoing political crisis has stymied government decision-making and 
undermined confidence in Thailand's export-driven economy, which has 
also been hit by the global financial crisis.
According to the latest government data, the Thai economy will grow at 
4.5 per cent this year, its slowest rate in seven years – due both to 
slumping investment and a slide in exports.






http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/11/26/2003429574

At least five injured as Thai protests turn violent

AFP, BANKGKOK
Wednesday, Nov 26, 2008, Page 1
Anti-government protesters blockading the Thai prime minister’s 
temporary offices and Bangkok’s main airport opened fire on rival 
activists yesterday, wounding at least five people, police said.
The violence erupted on the road to a disused air terminal where 
thousands of demonstrators behind a six-month street campaign have 
surrounded the makeshift headquarters of Thai Prime Minister Somchai 
Wongsawat.

Separately, anti-government protesters clad in yellow clothes that 
symbolize their loyalty to the monarchy tried to blockade the main 
Suvarnabhumi International Airport ahead of Somchai’s return from a trip 
abroad.

“Five supporters of the government have been wounded from gun shots by 
PAD [People’s Alliance for Democracy] who were on a pickup truck,” a 
senior Metropolitan police officer told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Television footage showed at least one man in a pickup truck opening 
fire on an unarmed group, before men in yellow shirts got out and beat 
them with white poles, as fires burned in the background.

The PAD — a coalition of royalists, Bangkok’s old elite and the middle 
class — accuses the government of being a corrupt puppet of exiled 
former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin, who is Somchai’s 
brother-in-law, was ousted in a 2006 coup.

Somchai has rejected calls to quit, while the government insisted that a 
key Cabinet meeting would go ahead today at an undisclosed location to 
prevent further protests.

“Anyone who wants to overthrow or resist the government is attempting a 
rebellion,” Somchai told the Thai National News Agency on board a flight 
from an APEC summit in Peru.

The Thai army chief meanwhile dismissed protesters’ calls for the 
military to step in as it did two years ago.

“The armed forces have agreed that a coup cannot solve our country’s 
problems and we will try to weather the current situation and pass this 
critical time,” army chief General Anupong Paojinda told reporters.

A day after PAD protests forced the cancellation of a parliamentary 
joint sitting, about 10,000 demonstrators moved to the old Don Mueang 
International Airport early on Monday to shut off Somchai’s current base.

Protesters have occupied the prime minister’s official office and 
Cabinet headquarters at Government House in Bangkok since August.

Riot police largely withdrew on Monday amid fears of a repeat of clashes 
between protesters and police on Oct. 7 that left two people dead and 
500 injured, the worst political violence in Thailand for 16 years.

“There are more than 10,000 of us here and we are prepared for a long 
siege like at Government House,” said Sawit Kaoewan, a PAD leader. 
Police confirmed the figure.

About 1,000 demonstrators later moved to the Suvarnabhumi international 
airport in a bid to block Somchai’s return from a trip abroad, airport 
authorities told reporters

They said there was no disruption to the handful of domestic flights 
that operate from Don Mueang or to services at Suvarnabhumi, which took 
over as Bangkok’s main airport two years ago.

Hundreds of PAD supporters also went to the nearby military headquarters 
after speculation that the cabinet would meet there with Somchai today.

Government-run corporations said there was no response to a strike call 
by Thailand’s main public sector union.

The protests spread a day after the PAD blockaded parliament in what 
they called a “final battle” in their six-month campaign against the 
administration.

The PAD, which also launched huge street protests in 2006 that led to 
the Thaksin coup, called this week’s rallies in response to a grenade 
attack on Thursday that killed one protester.






http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/world/asia/26thai.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Thai Protesters Shut Down Airport

European Pressphoto Agency
Anti-government protesters blocked the main access road to Suvarnabhumi 
International Airport in Bangkok on Tuesday.

By THOMAS FULLER
Published: November 25, 2008
BANGKOK -- Thailand's main international airport remained shut Wednesday 
after protesters besieged the facility, startling tourists, halting 
flights and escalating months of simmering political tensions into a 
full-blown national crisis.
Skip to next paragraph
Multimedia
Thomas Fuller on Protests in Bangkok (mp3)
Related
Demonstrators Surround Parliament in Thailand (November 25, 2008)
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Chumsak Kanoknan/Getty Images
Protesters gathered outside a terminal at the Bangkok airport early 
Wednesday. Thousands of those opposed to the government began 
demonstrating on Tuesday.
The airport raid, carried out Tuesday by men wielding metal rods who 
pushed past riot police officers, was the climax of three years of 
intermittent protests that have tarnished Thailand's long-standing image 
as a freewheeling but stable nation.
A series of extreme measures by protesters, including a violent clash 
with government supporters on Tuesday in Bangkok that left 11 people 
injured, has brought the government near collapse and left Thailand's 
democracy teetering.
The government has struggled to carry on its business while trying to 
quell the most recent demonstrations, but has found itself consumed by 
the stalemate. A sit-in at government offices forced Prime Minister 
Somchai Wongsawat to conduct business elsewhere.
This week, protesters began what they called a final push against the 
country’s leaders. They prevented Parliament from holding one important 
session and have said they plan to prevent any future sessions or 
cabinet meetings, effectively paralyzing the government.
The protesters, a loose coalition of royalists, academics and members of 
the urban elite, say they are frustrated by years of vote-buying and 
corruption. Many are also skeptical of Thai democracy in its current 
form and propose a voting system that would lessen the representation of 
lower-income Thais, who they say are particularly susceptible to 
vote-buying.
The latest protests come at a time of anxiety over the health of 
80-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej and worries about his succession. 
There is also frustration about an underperforming national economy.
The recent protests have centered on Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime 
minister who was removed from power two years ago in a military coup. 
Protesters accuse the current government and the one before it of being 
Mr. Thaksin’s proxies.
Mr. Thaksin was recently convicted in absentia of abuse of power and 
remains in exile. The current prime minister is Mr. Thaksin’s 
brother-in-law.
At the cavernous Suvarnabhumi airport early Wednesday, protesters said 
they would not leave until the government stepped down.
During the original face-off with riot police officers on Tuesday, one 
protester said she was willing to die if necessary.
“If they shoot, let them shoot,” said Pranee Rattanatakerngporn, a 
55-year-old protester who traveled to Bangkok from the northern city of 
Chiang Mai. “I will stay here until we win.”
Officials decided to shut the airport around 9 p.m. Tuesday “for the 
safety of all passengers.”
“I’m very worried about the situation now,” said Sereerat Prasutanon, 
director of the airport. “I think it’s time that the army comes out and 
helps to take care of the situation.”
By shutting down the airport, protesters are ultimately holding the 
country hostage, analysts say.
“The gateway to the country is now blocked,” said Panitan Wattanayagorn, 
a professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. 
“This is an acute problem for the government.”
Suvarnabhumi is the world’s 18th-largest airport in terms of passenger 
traffic and a major transit hub for Southeast Asia. It handled 41 
million passengers last year.
Among the passengers stranded at the airport was Anna Plahn, a 
34-year-old from Sweden wrapping up a vacation with her two young 
children. “My two kids are sick and they want to go home,” she said. 
“This is the worst thing that has ever happened to us.”
On Tuesday, thousands of protesters were camped out on the main entrance 
ramp to the airport, blocking traffic to the departure terminal. They 
spread razor wire on the road to limit traffic, which was allowed to 
trickle through. A truck parked in front of the terminal served as a 
makeshift stage where a well-known actor, Saranyu Wongkrachang, led the 
crowd of protesters in song throughout the night.
The protesters, who had mainly confined their demonstrations to their 
sit-in at the government compound, took to the streets Monday, when they 
forced the cancellation of Parliament and temporarily cut electricity to 
the police headquarters.
On Tuesday, thousands of protesters kept the Thai government on the run, 
blocking the entrance to its temporary offices north of the city and 
massing in front of army headquarters.
In the late afternoon a clash erupted between protesters and government 
supporters on a major road in Bangkok. Television reports showed two 
protesters shooting handguns in the direction of the government 
supporters and beating them with metal rods and sticks. There were no 
reports of deaths on Tuesday.
Skip to next paragraph
Multimedia
Thomas Fuller on Protests in Bangkok (mp3)
Related
Demonstrators Surround Parliament in Thailand (November 25, 2008)
The video also showed protesters surrounding a motorcycle taxi driver 
and holding a knife to his throat as he clasped his hands together, 
begging for mercy. Mr. Thaksin has many supporters among taxi drivers. 
It was unclear what happened to the man.
On Wednesday, The Associated Press reported that the police said 
assailants had thrown four explosive devices at anti-government 
protesters, injuring at least six people.
With nearly daily protests taking place in Bangkok for the past six 
months, many Thais have grown frustrated.
The Thai print news media, which has been generally critical of the 
government and supportive of the protests, has recently run articles 
skeptical of the daily street demonstrations. One columnist in the 
newspaper The Nation on Tuesday called the protests a “never-ending saga 
that is futile and a drain on society.”
The latest spate of protests began in April, but became more serious in 
August, when the alliance raided and took over the prime minister’s 
office compound, forcing the previous prime minister to operate out of 
the V.I.P. terminal of Don Muang Airport, the capital’s older airfield, 
now used for domestic flights. Mr. Somchai and his staff had used the 
same airport offices. On Monday, protesters blocked access to those offices.
“You don’t have to doubt what we will do next,” Somsak Kosaisuk, a 
protest leader, said Tuesday from a temporary stage set up at Don Muang 
airport. “First, we will not let the cabinet use this place for their 
meetings anymore. Second, wherever they go for their meetings, we have 
our special troops that will follow them.” A cabinet meeting had been 
planned for Wednesday, but government officials said it might be pushed 
back.
The prime minister is scheduled to return late Wednesday, from a trip to 
Peru, where he attended a summit meeting of Asian and Pacific leaders.
As the Thai economy slows down with the global financial crisis causing 
ripples here, and as the stalemate between government and protesters 
deepens, many Thais are hoping for a coda.
“How is it going to end?” said Bharavee Boonsongsap, a 34-year-old 
producer for MTV Thailand. “I keep asking people but they have no 
answer. Thais are fighting Thais. People have become aggressive, and 
even children have been taught to hate the opposite side.”






http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/25/worldupdates/2008-11-25T141925Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-366829-1&sec=Worldupdates

Tuesday November 25, 2008
Govt retreat deals big blow to Thai protest
By Ed Cropley
BANGKOK (Reuters) - It was billed as a "final battle" to unseat 
Thailand's government but, unfortunately for the People's Alliance for 
Democracy (PAD), it now looks as though the government, not it, could be 
the last one standing.
Thailand's Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat gestures during a meeting 
with Peru's President Alan Garcia at the government palace in Lima 
November 24, 2008. (REUTERS/Pilar Olivares)
By some yardsticks, Monday's marches were "mission accomplished" for the 
PAD, the monarchist street movement that has occupied Prime Minister 
Somchai Wongsawat's offices for three months and paralysed his 
government for six.
Its siege of parliament forced the postponement of a debate on some 
international treaties, and its occupation of the elected 
administration's temporary headquarters at Bangkok's old airport caused 
several ministers to beat a hasty retreat.
But by other measures, the day was a washout for a protest movement that 
has relied on the oxygen of publicity and openly courted anarchy and 
bloodshed on the streets of the capital in the hope of triggering a 
military coup.
Determined to avoid confrontation, unarmed riot police at parliament 
simply walked away or climbed over locked gates into Bangkok zoo at the 
approach of the PAD vanguard, a phalanx of masked heavies wielding clubs 
and iron bars.
A threatened nationwide strike on Tuesday by the PAD's public sector 
union allies, who also accuse Somchai of being a puppet of his 
brother-in-law, ousted and exiled leader Thaksin Shinawatra, failed to 
materialise.
"Thaksin's provocations will give them some energy, but the PAD simply 
cannot mobilise sufficient mass support to maintain a drawn-out 
campaign," Thailand researcher Andrew Walker of Australian National 
University said.
"There is every chance that, left to their own devices, the PAD will 
degenerate into a rather eccentric political cult with a bankrupt and 
self-absorbed leadership," he said.
MOOD SWING
Such views had little traction six weeks ago amid widespread public 
anger in Bangkok at alleged brutality by the police in breaking up an 
identical PAD protest at parliament.
Two people were killed and hundreds, including scores of police, injured 
in a day of running street battles, the worst unrest in Bangkok in 16 years.
Since then, however, two things have changed.
First, the PAD has become ever more bellicose and erratic -- six of its 
"guards" were arrested on Monday for hijacking a bus with a sawn-off 
shotgun -- making it hard for establishment supporters ranking as high 
as Queen Sirikit to stay on board.
"The people who've been backing PAD in the background have got 
frightened that it's getting out of control. It's a threat to public 
order and even the structure of the state itself," said historian Chris 
Baker. "There has been a change of mood."
Second, the threat to Thailand's export-driven economy from a major 
global slowdown has suddenly got very serious, and the businessmen and 
middle classes who have been bankrolling the PAD are worried about its 
impact on their wallets.
Data released on Monday, as thousands of PAD faithful chanted victory 
slogans outside parliament, showed the economy on track to grow just 4.5 
percent this year, its slowest since 2001.
In the last week, foreign investors from General Motors to Nikon 
<7731.T> have revealed Thai production cuts.
DOWN IN THE POLLS
Even before Monday, opinion polls showed waning support among a Bangkok 
public weary of months of disruption to traffic, schools and businesses, 
suggesting the PAD's cries for people's unpaid time and energy is 
starting to fall on deaf ears.
"We are recruiting non-stop for supporters to oust the tyrants," core 
PAD leader Somsak Kosaisuk told a rally on Tuesday. "The job does not 
carry any pay, but you are defending the nation, religion and the monarchy."
In the three years since it started as an anti-corruption drive against 
Thaksin, the PAD has been in the doldrums several times but has always 
shown an uncanny ability to engineer a new flashpoint or yet another 
headline-grabbing "final push".
But if the police and the disarmingly uncharismatic Somchai continue to 
refuse to rise to the bait, and Thaksin keeps his mouth shut from exile 
-- admittedly, a big if -- the powers that be could well tell the 
movement's leadership to pack its bags.
"I would guess that, away from all of our eyes, people will start 
talking to the leaders and say: 'Come on, own up to reality,'" Baker 
said. "And if that doesn't work, there will be a kind of clean sweep. 
They will try and decapitate them."






http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23591402-details/Thai+parliament+shut+as+protesters+cut+off+electricity/article.do#readerComments

Thai parliament shut as protesters cut off electricity
Ed Harris
24.11.08
THE Thai parliament was forced to close down today after thousands of 
anti-government protesters managed to cut off electricity to the 
building as they called for a "final showdown".
A squad of riot police had to retreat to their headquarters when 
activists, many singing and dancing in a sea of yellow shirts worn in 
tribute to the Thai monarch, surrounded the gates of parliament in 
Bangkok. Nearby, dozens of other police in riot gear retreated inside 
their headquarters as demonstrators pushed past a metal barricade and 
blocked off the street with razor wire.
The protest alliance, which calls itself the People's Alliance for 
Democracy, has been occupying the grounds of the prime minister's office 
in the capital for three months.
They say the administration is the puppet of former prime minister 
Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup after being 
accused of corruption and abuse of power. Today's protest spread across 
a much wider area of the capital than earlier rallies. Protest leader 
Somsak Kosaisuk said outside parliament: "We'll keep doing this until 
they quit."
There were reports that the government had set up a makeshift office at 
Bangkok's former international airport.






http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1126/p04s01-woap.html

Few gains in Thai protesters' 'final war'
The antigovernment group swarmed the airport where the prime minister 
was supposed to arrive Wednesday.
By Patrick Winn | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
from the November 26, 2008 edition
Bangkok, Thailand - Despite the increasingly violent "final showdowns" 
that Thailand's antigovernment protesters have carried out this week, 
the months-old movement appears to be losing steam.
On Tuesday, members of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) clashed 
with government supporters and continued besieging Don Muang airport, 
where government officials had set up a temporary office. They also 
swarmed Thailand's main international airport and blocked the road to it 
in anticipation of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's return Wednesday, 
forcing all departing flights to be suspended.
But the PAD's self-declared "last war" – which follows months of 
disruptive protests – failed to achieve its goals of compelling the 
government to step down or of triggering a military coup. Meanwhile, the 
PAD's ranks are thinning as followers weary of the prolonged turmoil.
"They've run a little dry and have become more desperate," says Thitinan 
Pongsudhirak, a political analyst with Thailand's Chulalongkorn 
University. "The longer it goes on, the more of a drain it becomes. 
They've been trying to close this game."
Tired protesters snoozed on tile floors at Don Muang airport Monday 
night. More slept on a traffic ramp outside despite blaring music.
"This has to come to a pinnacle at some point," said Soontorn Rakong, a 
PAD coordinator, surrounded by dozing protesters. "Win or lose? I can't 
say."
For much of this year, the alliance has rallied hard to topple the 
elected People Power Party, which they accuse of buying votes to win 
elections late last year. The party has close ties to exiled former 
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. To many Thais, he is a hero, but the 
PAD casts him as archvillain, insisting that he still holds sway over 
Thailand's political leadership – especially Prime Minister Somchai, his 
brother-in-law.
In August, roughly 10,000 protesters stormed the prime minister's 
compound with pipes and clubs, transforming its grounds into a 24-hour 
tent city and alliance headquarters. Government workers fled, eventually 
setting up offices in the now-seized Don Muang airport VIP lounge. 
Alliance leader Sondhi Limthongkul, owner of a TV and newspaper 
enterprise, set up live satellite feeds to bring more disaffected Thais 
to his cause.
Mr. Thitinan and other analysts say the alliance's "final war" is meant 
to provoke a military coup and force the current government out. The 
country has a history of coups – 18 since World War II, the latest being 
Thaksin's ouster in 2006.
Though coup rumors have electrified Bangkok in recent months, prospects 
of another one appear dim. The Royal Thai Armed Forces leadership has 
taken a hands-off approach during the protests. Thailand's Army chief, 
Gen. Anupong Paochinda, has stated that his soldiers cannot heal 
Thailand's political wounds. The coup route, he said, is "a closed door."
Many analysts believe that only out-and-out anarchy would convince the 
military to intervene. But if the alliance hoped for a fight this week – 
it barricaded streets, mocked riot cops, and disrupted parliament – 
police and soldiers disappointed them by keeping their distance.
Meanwhile, the PAD's supporters appears more ragged and spare. Only 
about 2,000 people occupy the prime minister's compounds on weekdays – a 
mix of paid guards, vendors hawking T-shirts, and retirement-age Thais.
Bleaker still is the financial picture of its propaganda network, 
Manager Media Group. After ducking a civil court hearing with creditors 
this month, its assets may be eligible for seizure.
The firm has more than $133 million in debt – a fortune in Thai business 
terms. Its "news" channel, which runs nonstop footage of protests, posts 
frequent banner ads requesting donations.
The PAD has protesters to feed, satellite trucks to maintain, 
technicians, bodyguards, and others to pay. According to Sondhi, 
occupying the compound costs roughly 1 million Thai baht ($28,400) a 
day. Adding Don Muang's occupation to its balance sheet will further sap 
its resources.
The thought of another coup is not particularly welcome to the PAD's 
rank and file. "It's a hard question. I don't really want a coup," said 
Rattana Somleak late Monday night. The dessert salesman, prepared for a 
long occupation at Don Muang, had just finished brushing his teeth over 
an airport railing.
"The government has all the power and, yes, they got it from elections. 
That's the correct way. But they also got power from buying votes, 
buying the media." Could he stomach another coup? Mr. Somleak's brow 
tightens. "Maybe. I just don't know."
Away from the megaphone, Soontorn, the PAD coordinator, acknowledges 
that the violent protests must end soon. We can't keep going on with 
these little wins and little losses, back and forth, between us and the 
government."






http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/391950/1/.html

Analysts say Thai protesters trying to provoke violent response from 
authorities
By Channel NewsAsia's IndoChina Correspondent Anasuya Sanyal | Posted: 
24 November 2008 2125 hrs

BANGKOK: Thousands of protesters in Thailand have blocked off 
Parliament, forcing it to call off its session. At least 15,000 have 
fanned out across Bangkok as part of their final battle against Prime 
Minister Somchai Wongsawat's government.

In a symbolic move to cut off power in Parliament, members from the 
People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) not only caused a blackout, they 
also surrounded the building, making it inaccessible to Thai lawmakers.

One of the protesters, Wasant Kasemsap, said: "This thing would not have 
happened if the government had moral principles. You see the building 
behind me, it's not Parliament, it's a thieves' den full of criminals in 
there. I want everyone to realise that if we don't stand up to fight, we 
will not have anything left for our country."

Some even hijacked buses in their attempt to seal off the police 
headquarters and other state buildings. Tensions ran high as thousands 
of riot police tried to stop the protesters from advancing.

A police spokesman said they are not carrying guns and have been 
instructed to use as little force as possible. Many are eager to avoid a 
repeat of an episode last month when exploding tear gas canisters caused 
two deaths and hundreds of injuries.

PM Somchai, who is in Peru for the APEC conference, has refused to 
resign and instead called for restraint.

The PAD has occupied the prime minister's office compound for nearly six 
months and looks unlikely to vacate anytime soon. Some analysts said 
they are trying to provoke a violent response from authorities and 
trigger a military coup, which would then oust the Somchai government.

The PAD said Mr Somchai is simply a puppet for former prime minister 
Thaksin Shinawatra, who is thought to be gearing up for a political 
comeback.

The PAD is expanding its protests to include Don Muang Airport, which 
serves as Mr Somchai's temporary office.

Many Thais feel that the PAD is now simply obstructing necessary 
government business, but the group and its backers show no signs of 
giving up.

- CNA/so






http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/391804/1/.html

Thai demonstrators leave protest camp for "final battle"
Posted: 24 November 2008 0757 hrs

Anti-government protesters wave a national flag during a protest inside 
the Government House in Bangkok

BANGKOK - Thousands of Thai demonstrators began leaving their protest 
camp early Monday and prepared to march to key state buildings in a 
"final battle" to topple the government, their leaders said.

Crowds began leaving the Government House -- the prime minister's 
cabinet offices which they have occupied since late August -- at about 
6:00 am (2300 GMT Sunday) and gathered at a road junction just outside 
the compound.

"Get ready, gather at the intersection with masks, clean water and 
towels," a spokesman from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) 
protest group told the thousands of people gathered in Bangkok's 
historic district.

The protesters were told to bring the masks in case the police use tear 
gas to disperse them."People who stay at Government House, don't worry, 
we have mechanisms, we will not be dispersed," he said.

The speakers on stage did not reveal their supporters' destinations, but 
rumours circulated that protesters were heading to the nearby Bangkok 
police headquarters or to the finance ministry.

Thai television, meanwhile, speculated that other targets could be the 
stock exchange or Don Mueang airport, where Prime Minister Somchai 
Wongsawat's cabinet has been meeting since Government House was occupied.

PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul had late Sunday said supporters would 
divide into groups and descend on different locations for a "final 
battle" against the government, which they accuse of acting as a corrupt 
puppet of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

"It will be our longest day. The leaders have already planned our battle 
tactics... in this war the protesters will seize our capital back," he 
said.

PAD leaders had also said Sunday that their main aim was to block 
parliament to prevent a joint session due to start at 9:30am Monday.

The last time PAD protesters left Government House and rallied outside 
parliament on October 7, police fired tear gas and the crowd fought 
back, with the resulting clashes leaving two people dead and nearly 500 
injured. - AFP/vm






http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/391828/1/.html

Thai protester dies from bomb blast injuries
Posted: 24 November 2008 1043 hrs


Anti-government protesters hold portraits of Thai King Bhumibol 
Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit during a protest

BANGKOK - A Thai demonstrator injured in a grenade attack at an 
anti-government protest site in Bangkok at the weekend has died in 
hospital, medical staff said Monday.

A forensic official at Bangkok's Ramathibodi Hospital said that 
21-year-old Anupong Samerpak -- a volunteer guard for the People's 
Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest movement -- died Sunday afternoon.

"Relatives have already claimed his body," the official said, adding 
that the victim's injuries were caused by shrapnel.

Seven other protesters were wounded Saturday when an unknown assailant 
on a motorbike tossed a grenade at the protest site at the prime 
minister's Government House offices, which the PAD has occupied since 
late August.

Last Thursday, one protester was killed and 29 injured in a similar 
attack in front of a stage at the compound, prompting PAD leaders to 
blame the government and call for a massive rally on Monday.

Police say about 18,000 protesters have turned out Monday morning, 
blocking parliament in what PAD leaders say is their "final battle" to 
remove the government, which they say is a puppet for ousted premier 
Thaksin Shinawatra.

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat -- Thaksin's brother-in-law -- has 
denied any government involvement in the blasts and promised an 
investigation. No arrests have been made so far.

Two PAD supporters were also killed on October 7, when police and 
protesters clashed outside parliament in street battles that also 
injured nearly 500 people including police. - AFP/vm






http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Cape%20Times&fArticleId=4727521

Thai protesters rally for push to topple the government
November 24, 2008 Edition 1
BANGKOK: Thousands of Thai protesters gathered yesterday for a rally 
they say will be the final push in a six-month campaign to topple the 
government.
"I am confident in the strength of the people," anti-government leader 
Chamlong Srimuang said. "We will go to parliament to seal off every side 
on Monday (today)."
Thai television showed images of police manning steel barricades outside 
Bangkok's parliament building and fire engines parked nearby, while 
witnesses said more than 10 000 protesters had gathered at Government 
House.
"Protesters, please do not damage the country," Thailand's Prime 
Minister Somchai Wongsawat said on Thai television from Peru, where he 
is attending a conference.
About 2 000 police have been deployed, officials said, while nearly 2 
000 troops are on standby to prevent a repeat of street battles outside 
parliament last month which left two protesters dead and nearly 500 
people injured.

"The army has prepared about 21 companies to help police take care of 
the situation," spokesperson Nattawut Saikuar said.
"The government will not use force or weapons to disperse the 
demonstration, (but) parliament will meet as planned."
On Thursday, one protester was killed and 29 wounded when a 
rocket-propelled grenade exploded in the middle of the Government House 
protest site, and on Saturday eight protesters were injured by a similar 
weapon.
The People's Alliance for Democracy protest group has blamed the 
government for both attacks. The government has denied any link to the 
attacks. - Sapa-AFP






http://www.bangkokpost.com/241108_News/24Nov2008_news03.php

UDD told to avoid protest march route
MONGKOL BANGPRAPA

The United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) yesterday told 
its supporters not to gather today to counter a rally by the People's 
Alliance for Democracy (PAD) at parliament.
The pro-government group's stance was announced yesterday during the 
Kwam Jing Wan Nee (Truth Today) talk show at Wat Suan Kaew in 
Nonthaburi, which coincided with a massive gathering of PAD supporters 
at Government House.
Key UDD leader and talk show host Veera Musikhapong claimed the 
pro-government group would avoid confronting the PAD today, which has 
decided to wage its "final war" on the Somchai Wongsawat government.
The PAD accuses Mr Somchai of being a proxy for convicted former prime 
minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
"If there is a clash, it would be between the PAD and police," Mr Veera 
said. "Let them [PAD supporters] show their real self and let military 
and police officers do their duty."
He asked the PAD to "honour the nation" by not blocking parliament and 
stopping it from convening. Legislators will sit today to consider 12 
agreements to be signed during the Association of Southeast Asian 
Nations (Asean) summit in Chiang Mai on Dec 15.
The 2007 constitution demands all international commitments be approved 
by parliament before they are signed.
Key UDD leader Chatuporn Promphan said Thailand would suffer if 
parliament could not consider and approve the agreements.
Another talk show host, Kobkaew Pikulthong, questioned why no one came 
out to oppose the PAD rally in front of parliament. Some people, 
including some senators and opposition party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, 
just let things go on without making any efforts to put the brakes on 
the PAD, he said.
The main reason the PAD is staging its rally at parliament today is to 
prevent the People Power party-led government from amending Article 291 
of the constitution, which would pave the way for the setting up of a 
body to draft a new charter.
Mr Veera also asked UDD supporters to send five million postcards as a 
petition to His Majesty the King in a bid to help Thaksin, who is on the 
run after being convicted of breaking a conflict of interest law last 
month.
In a phone-in speech at the UDD rally at Rajamangala National Stadium on 
Nov 1, Thaksin told his supporters that only royal kindness or the power 
of the people could bring him home.
Several thousand UDD supporters crowded into Wat Suan Kaew yesterday to 
join the talk show. However, temple abbot Phra Payom Galayano, who faced 
criticism for allowing the UDD to hold the controversial event at his 
temple, did not allow Thaksin to make a phone-in from abroad to his 
supporters.
The abbot said he would not become the political tool of any party.
The peaceful atmosphere in the temple may reduce the anger between the 
rival groups, he said. "In fact, Mr Veera and his colleagues have become 
a tool of my moral teachings," the monk said.






http://www.bangkokpost.com/241108_News/24Nov2008_news14.php

November 24 2008

EDITORIAL

Time for rest from protests

It is difficult to credit the two extreme political groups for 
exercising restraint and conducting peaceful demonstrations yesterday. 
There was a time not so long ago when protests meant a lack of violence 
- flowers in gun barrels were symbolic. Now, the nation cringes when the 
People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) or the United Front of Democracy 
against Dictatorship (UDD) take to the streets. In these troubled times, 
the country is worried when the UDD calls its red-shirted supporters to 
the political front.
So the stress factor was pretty high in Bangkok during the weekend, and 
in many provincial centres as well. The contrary protests, even 
separated as widely as they were, caused strong concern, and there is 
relief that major violence was again avoided.
It might be relief, but is there release? The PAD, yet again, promised 
the Sunday rally, its supposedly biggest ever, would be its last gasp 
victory - or, in the words of core leader Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang, "We 
will all just pack up and go back home". If victory means forcing the 
government to resign, the PAD has fallen short of its goal. No one 
doubts that the PAD leaders will continue their campaign for their vague 
goal of a "new politics". No one doubts there will be more protests and 
more tension. The PAD backs a general strike (with some labour union 
backing) and using force to besiege parliament. Some leaders have called 
for a military coup.
For its part, the UDD claims to be on a roll. Political icon and 
criminal fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra will address a UDD gathering on Dec 
13. Followers will undoubtedly pack the old national stadium at Patumwan 
and roar at the increasingly open threats of violence against the PAD. 
UDD convert Maj-Gen Khattiya "Seh Daeng" Sawasdipol has made the grenade 
a symbol of opposition to the PAD. Such threats are a disgraceful act, 
testing the laws against inciting violence.
All of this is approaching the point of disservice to the nation. There 
is no doubt dissent is both healthy and necessary in a free society. But 
more than three years of steady street protest, interrupted only by an 
ill-considered and harmful military coup, has inflicted serious wounds 
on the country and all Thais. The PAD and the UDD have one thing in 
common: Both are minority groups trying to force their views and 
policies on the public. Poll after poll shows clearly that the vast 
majority are tired of the constant political tension sparked and fanned 
by these groups and supporters.
The nation's business is not being done. The PAD - perhaps rightly - has 
forced the courts to rule that the government must submit all foreign 
pacts and policy to parliament for approval. Then, the PAD has besieged 
parliament, preventing such public debate.
Thailand, the chairman of Asean, will go to its own summit in Chiang Mai 
next week as the only member not to have approved vital Asean agreements 
on peace, trade and cross-border security. Protest is patriotic, but 
lowering the prestige of the country is to humiliate Thailand in the 
world's eyes. On one hand, the PAD denies the legitimacy of the 
government as a Thaksin puppet. On the other it denies the people's 
business.
It would be useful if the PAD reconsidered the overall effect of its 
continuing political tension. UDD leaders should also think about how 
useful its mass rallies are to the nation.
The birthday of His Majesty the King is next week. The Asean summit 
comes to Thailand two weeks later. Economic problems are becoming a 
crisis. Now would be a good time to take a holiday from huge political 
rallies and attend to the country's business.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/391806/1/.html

Three small blasts hit near Thai protest leader's office
Posted: 24 November 2008 0802 hrs

Protesters run for safety after Thai police fired tear gas at them 
during an anti-government protest in Bangkok.

BANGKOK - Three small blasts went off near the offices of a key Thai 
anti-government protest leader early Monday, police said, but no one was 
injured in the latest in a string of small-scale explosions in Bangkok.

All three blasts hit Bangkok's Banglampoo area, near the offices of 
ASTV, which is headed by Sondhi Limthongkul, a co-founder of the 
People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is trying to topple the 
government.

An officer at the Metropolitan Police who did not wish to be named said 
they still did not know what had caused the explosions.

"As far as we know so far, no one was hurt in those blasts," he said.

Local television footage showed glass at a police box shattered in the 
first bomb attack.

The blasts come the same day that the PAD has promised fresh rallies in 
its "final battle" to remove the government, which they accuse of acting 
as a corrupt puppet of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thousands of PAD supporters were early Monday preparing to leave the 
Government House compound they have occupied since late August and 
descend on various state locations throughout the capital.

PAD leaders called for the fresh rallies after one of their supporters 
was killed and 29 injured in a grenade attack at Government House last 
week, which Protesters blamed the government for the casualties, but 
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has denied any involvement and vowed to 
investigate. - AFP/vm






http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/11/24/2003429447

Thai alliance plans to rally 100,000 for biggest protest yet

AP, BANGKOK
Monday, Nov 24, 2008, Page 5
Anti-government protesters gathered in the Thai capital yesterday for 
their biggest rally yet in a final showdown with the government, while 
the military deployed soldiers to deter violence.
The protest group, which calls itself the People’s Alliance for 
Democracy (PAD), hoped more than 100,000 supporters would join them 
yesterday evening or early this morning.

They were expected to try to march on parliament to disrupt a session of 
lawmakers today.

‘D-DAY’

“It will be D-Day. This will be our final push to bring down the 
government,” said protester Chokchuang Chutinaton, 64, as he and fellow 
protesters gathered at the Government House compound.

Alliance protesters have camped out Government House since August and 
are demanding that Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resign.

They accuse him of being a proxy for his brother-in-law, former prime 
minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup for 
alleged corruption and abuse of power.

ATTACKED

The protesters have been attacked several times by small bombs and 
grenades, including a blast on Thursday that killed one person and 
wounded 29, and another on Saturday that injured eight. No one took 
responsibility for the explosions.

The Thai military said that it was deploying more than 2,000 soldiers 
yesterday to deter violence. Army spokesman Colonel Sansern Khaewkamnerd 
said police would be responsible for keeping the situation under 
control, but that the army would be on standby in case police ask for help.

“We have prepared more than 2,000 soldiers to support them,” Sansern said.

Police said 2,400 police would be stationed outside parliament, which 
stands about a 1km from Government House, where the protesters were 
gathering.

CLASHES

The last time the protesters marched on parliament, street battles with 
police left two dead and hundreds wounded.

Nearly 100,000 protesters were involved in the demonstrations on Oct. 7, 
the biggest march so far and the country’s worst political violence in 
more than a decade.

“We expect for more than 100,000 supporters for the rally,” PAD 
spokesman Parnthep Wongpuapan said yesterday.

Key protest leader Chamlong Srimuang said on Saturday that the upcoming 
rally would be a final push.

“If we cannot drive out this illegal government then we will give up and 
let them do whatever they want to the country. Everyone in PAD will go 
home,” he said.






http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-11/2008-11-22-voa7.cfm?CFID=150987084&CFTOKEN=52020126&jsessionid=0030a529e18cff3092a0213a16a206020573

Blast in Bangkok Injures 8 Thai Anti-Government Protesters
By VOA News
22 November 2008


An injured anti-government protester is treated by medic men after a 
bomb attack at the government house compound in Bangkok, Thailand, 22 
Nov 2008
Thai authorities say a pre-dawn blast has injured at least eight 
anti-government protesters in Bangkok near the site of a similar attack 
two days ago.

Sources in Bangkok say unidentified assailants on a motorcycle early 
Saturday threw a grenade at a checkpoint manned by protesters outside 
the prime minister's office compound. Protesters led by the People's 
Alliance for Democracy have occupied the compound for nearly three months.

On Thursday, a grenade attack on the grounds of the compound killed one 
protester and injured 23 others. No one has claimed responsibility for 
the blast, and protesters have refused to allow police to enter the 
compound to investigate the incident.

PAD leaders blame the government for the attack and are organizing a 
mass rally on Sunday to protest what they say are the government's daily 
brutal crackdowns. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat denies the accusations.

On Friday, Thailand's main public sector unions threatened to strike 
nationwide next week if the country's current administration does not 
step down. The group of unions urged its nearly 200,000 workers to join 
an anti-government rally planned for Sunday in Bangkok.

Protesters have been calling for the administration to step down since 
they began occupying Thailand's Government House compound in late 
August. They say the current administration is too close to deposed 
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The standoff has paralyzed the government and led to fears it will 
plunge Thailand into economic chaos.






http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/242812,grenade-attack-at-thai-protest-leaves-one-brain-dead--summary.html

Grenade attack at Thai protest leaves one brain-dead - Summary
Posted : Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:24:04 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Asia (World)

News Alerts by Email click here )

Bangkok - Unknown assailants launched a grenade at anti-government 
protestors Saturday, injuring eight and leaving one brain-dead while 
also fanning worries that Thailand was heading for more street violence 
this weekend. Witnesses said two young men fired the device from an M-79 
grenade launcher at guards for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) 
outside Government House, the seat of the Thai government.
One of the eight victims was pronounced brain-dead in hospital, having 
sustained shrapnel wounds to his body and neck, said the Ramathipbodi 
Hospital's director, Dr Than Suphatphan.
PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang said the attack was the handiwork of a 
professional.
"It had to be a soldier," he said at a press conference.
Another leader of the movement, Sondhi Limthongkul, warned that the 
attack might spark a violent backlash.
"The government needs to take responsibility because this kind of action 
will encourage people to take up weapons and fight the government," 
Sondhi said. "This will destroy the whole country."
On Thursday, a similar early morning attack on the PAD killed one man 
and injured 24 people.
The attacks on the PAD, a loose coalition of groups adamantly opposed to 
the return to power of exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have 
intensified in recent weeks.
The PAD seized Government House on August 26 and have occupied it since, 
demanding the resignation of the cabinet, which is now led by Prime 
Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law, and packed with 
Thaksin nominees and political allies.
Thaksin, a former billionaire telecommunications tycoon who used his 
personal fortune and populist policies to dominate Thai politics during 
his premierships from 2001 to 2006, was toppled by a coup two years ago.
He has been living in self-imposed exile since August and is a fugitive 
from Thai justice.
On October 21, the Supreme Court for Political Office Holders found 
Thaksin guilty of abuse of power for allowing his ex-wife, Pojaman, to 
successfully bid on a prime plot of Bangkok land at a government auction 
in 2003. Thaksin was sentenced to two years in jail.
Thaksin criticized the verdict as being politically motivated and last 
week vowed to return to Thai politics despite his conviction.
The threat, along with recent attacks, has emboldened the PAD, which 
vowed to stage a mass rally of 100,000 people Sunday to demand the 
resignation of the cabinet. On Monday, it plans to march on Parliament 
to prevent the legislators from meeting.
At its last mass protest outside Parliament on October 7, police opened 
fire with tear-gas canisters, leading to a melee that left two PAD 
followers dead and hundreds injured.
More than 1,700 police have been assigned to keep the peace at Sunday's 
rally.






http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10544233&ref=rss

Grenade attack on protesters at PM's office
4:00AM Friday Nov 21, 2008

The attack killed one person and injured at least 23. Photo / AP
BANGKOK - A grenade attack on anti-government protesters occupying the 
Thai Prime Minister's office killed one person and wounded at least 23 
yesterday, an Army official and protesters said.
The protesters have occupied the Government House compound since August 
and refuse to leave until Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resigns or is 
overthrown. The protest movement has been the focus of several small 
bomb and grenade attacks, but yesterday's was the first deadly assault 
at the compound.
The explosion occurred after a band performed onstage on the front lawn 
outside the Prime Minister's office, said Amorn Amornratamanon, one of 
the protest leaders. It landed on a giant tent near the stage that was 
sheltering dozens of people, he said.
"I was listening to the music when I heard a big bang. I ran to the 
stage and turned back to see several people lying on the ground," said 
Wimonwan Pranratsmee, a 42-year-old woman who was among the wounded.
Army General Prathomphong Kesornsuk, who was at the scene, said the 
device was an M-79 grenade that was fired from a nearby building.
Advertisement Advertisement
The protesters, calling themselves the People's Alliance for Democracy, 
have vowed not to leave the grounds of Government House until the allies 
of ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra are removed from power. Somchai is 
Thaksin's former brother-in-law and protesters call him Thaksin's proxy. 
Somchai has been forced to operate out of a makeshift office at 
Bangkok's old international airport.
Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup after protests led by the same 
alliance, a mix of activists, wealthy and middle-class urban residents 
and royalists.
Thaksin was accused of corruption and abuse of power. A Thai court 
handed down his first conviction last month and sentenced him in 
absentia to two years in prison for violating a conflict-of-interest law 
while in office. Thaksin, who is in exile, is in Dubai.
The occupation of Government House has paralysed the Government and last 
month sparked the country's worst political violence in 16 years.
Two protesters were killed and more than 470 injured when they clashed 
with riot police outside Parliament on October 7.
A street clash between Government supporters and opponents in September 
left one person dead and several more hurt.
- AP






http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/11/20/thai-blast.html

1 killed, 23 injured in grenade blast at Thai protest site
Last Updated: Thursday, November 20, 2008 | 12:36 AM ET Comments1Recommend7
Reuters, special to CBC News
An injured anti-government protester is treated by medical officials 
after a blast at the Government House in Bangkok Thursday. (Associated 
Press)
A grenade attack on protesters occupying the Thai prime minister's 
office killed one person and wounded 23 on Thursday, the most serious 
assault on the three-month sit-in at the compound, police and protest 
leaders said.
The Bangkok Post said an M-79 grenade had exploded near the main stage 
of the protest, which began in late August with the aim of forcing the 
elected government from power and changing the electoral system.
"Last night, they threw a bomb at our rally at Government House," 
Anchalee Paireerak, a spokeswoman for the People's Alliance for 
Democracy (PAD), told the crowd.
Police said the attack occurred at around 3:25 a.m., but they were 
barred from entry to the compound and so had little information.
The Nation newspaper identified the dead person as a 48-year-old man who 
died of shrapnel wounds to the throat.
The PAD protest is led by royalist businessmen and academics trying to 
prevent former leader Thaksin Shinawatra returning to power following 
his removal in a 2006 military coup.
The protesters accuse current prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, 
Thaksin's brother-in-law, and Somchai's predecessor, Samak Sundaravej, 
who resigned in September, of being too closely aligned with the ousted 
leader.
The PAD campaign, which started in late 2005 and contributed heavily to 
the 2006 coup, has paralyzed government decision-making and exacerbated 
the threat of recession in Thailand as its export-oriented economy takes 
a hit from a global slowdown.
Thailand's political temperature has been relatively calm for the last 
two weeks, with many people in both the pro- and anti-government camps 
turning their attention to last weekend's high-profile cremation of the 
king's elder sister.
A PAD speaker read a letter on stage from protest leader Chamlong 
Srimuang vowing to respond to the latest attack, the most serious in a 
spate of small grenades lobbed at the protest venue in the last month.
"We will no longer let this kind of incident happen. ," Chamlong, a 
retired major-general, said in the letter. "PAD leaders will have an 
urgent meeting this morning and will announce to PAD members what we 
will do next."
There was no immediate comment from the government of Prime Minister 
Somchai Wongsawat, who is .
Since the PAD overran the Government House compound in August, Somchai 
has been working out of temporary offices at Bangkok's old airport.








http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=612220

Thailand: Medical teams, hospitals stand by to assist wounded protesters
Posted: 2008/11/22
From: MNN


More than 30 medical teams and 11 gov`t hospitals in the Thai capital 
are on standby to provide emergency treatment to any wounded protesters 
of the anti-government People`s Alliance for Democracy `PAD` as the 
group will rally at Parliament on Sunday and Monday to express 
opposition to any consideration of constitutional amendments by the House.

Public Health Minister Pol. Capt. Chalerm Yubamrung said he had ordered 
permanent secretary of Public Health Dr. Praj Boonyawongvirot to prepare 
some 30 emergency medical teams, comprising over 100 personnel, to be 
stationed at the rally site from early Saturday.

Also, 11 government hospitals in Bangkok must be well prepared, having 
physicians, medical staff and patient beds available round-the-clock, 
Mr. Chalerm said.

The urgent order was made out of concern that violence might occur -- 
like the October 7 incidents in which two persons were killed and nearly 
500 others wounded when police fired teargas into the PAD protesters at 
Parliament.

Dr. Praj, meanwhile, said he had instructed the officials of two 
emergency relief centres to coordinate with the assigned hospitals to 
delegate work if violence breaks out.

Initially, officials of the emergency relief centres will work from 
Saturday morning through Monday. (TNA) #






http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=611716

PM urges anti-govt protesters to vacate Gov`t House
Posted: 2008/11/17
From: MNN


Thailand`s PM Somchai Wongsawat on Monday urged anti-gov`t demonstrators 
of the People`s Alliance for Democracy `PAD` to vacate Gov`t House in 
Bangkok.

After having occupied it for nearly three months, adding his government 
was prepared to hold talks with them.

Mr. Somchai, who also serves as defence minister, said he had requested 
the People's Alliance protesters to leave Government House, which they 
have held since August 26, for the sake of the country.

"It will take a long time and a lot of money to repair Government House 
after the protesters leave the premises," the premier said.

"Don't forget that Government House is a national treasure, and has been 
built from peoples' taxes".

He said that a group of well-intentioned persons is prepared to act as 
middlemen to negotiate between the government and the PAD, and that he 
agreed with the idea.

Stressing that building reconciliation among the people is his 
government's policy, Mr. Somchai who came to power in September, said it 
"needs time" to solve the country's problems and that his administration 
was putting effort into keeping things running smoothly. (TNA) #






http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BKK405742.htm

Thai protesters blame government for grenade attack
20 Nov 2008 10:53:35 GMT
Source: Reuters
(Adds PAD quote paragraph 4, details paragraphs 16-17)
By Nopporn Wong-Anan
BANGKOK, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The leader of a long-running anti-government 
street movement in Thailand called for a major rally on Sunday to oust 
the "murderous" administration after one of its supporters was killed in 
a grenade attack.
Sondhi Limthongkul accused the government of having a hand in the firing 
of the bomb in the early hours of Thursday into the prime minister's 
official compound, occupied by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) 
since August.
"The PAD can no longer tolerate this murderous government that kills its 
people daily and cruelly," he said, reading out a statement on PAD radio 
and television after an emergency meeting of his inner circle.
Chamlong Srimuang, a retired general and fellow PAD chief, painted the 
rally as "the last round of the final battle" -- a cry used many times 
before, most recently in the run-up to bloody clashes with riot police 
outside parliament on Oct. 7.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat denied Sondhi's accusation, telling 
reporters the government had "never had a policy to cause unrest or hurt 
any Thai".
Besides the dead man, identified as a 48-year-old with shrapnel wounds 
to the chest, 23 people were hurt in the blast, the most serious in a 
series of small attacks against the PAD sit-in in the last few weeks.
The PAD, a loose coalition of royalist businessmen and academics who 
accuse the government of being a puppet of ousted leader Thaksin 
Shinawatra, have managed to muster crowds in the tens of thousands this 
year.
However, in the last few weeks the crowds at Government House have been 
dwindling, largely through fatigue and the absence of anything too 
inflammatory from the government, which is operating out of temporary 
offices at an old airport.
Policy-making has been almost totally paralysed, causing Finance 
Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech to suggest the political crisis 
could tip the export-oriented economy into recession when it feels the 
full force of the global slowdown.
WHO DID IT?
Thailand's political temperature has been relatively cool in the past 
two weeks, with both anti- and pro-government camps focused on last 
weekend's high-profile cremation of the king's elder sister.
However, analysts always said the lull was only temporary, and so 
Thursday's attack comes as no surprise.
For several hours, PAD sentries barred police from entering the 
barricaded government compound, making it extremely unlikely anybody 
would ever be caught.
"It is difficult to say who did this. Many people -- both pro- and 
anti-government -- carry weapons," said political analyst Panitan 
Wattanayagorn of Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.
A renegade major-general known as Seh Daeng, who has offered basic 
military training to pro-government protesters and threatened to attack 
the PAD with bombs, rifles and snakes dropped from helicopters, also 
said he took no part.
Compounding the economic threat, state enterprise labour unions that 
caused havoc on the roads and railways in August in action supporting 
the PAD said they would meet on Friday to discuss possible strikes in 
response to the grenade.
Tensions are likely to remain high for some weeks, with Thaksin, now in 
exile having after skipping bail in a corruption case, set to address a 
mass rally of supporters around Dec. 13.
However, the army has said repeatedly another coup would not solve 
Thailand's fundamental political problems, and analysts say it is highly 
unlikely to change that view unless major street violence breaks out. 
(Additional reporting and writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Darren 
Schuettler and Jerry Norton)






http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/6535342.html

PM: Thai gov't to hold talks with anti-gov't protesters

19:43, November 17, 2008

Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat reiterated on Monday his coalition 
government is prepared to hold talks with the People's Alliance for 
Democracy (PAD), who has led the protests and occupations of the 
Government House for nearly three months.

Somchai said that a group of well-intentioned persons is prepared to act 
as middlemen to negotiate with the PAD, and that he agreed with the idea.

He stressed that building reconciliation among the people is his 
government's policy. He said it needed time to solve problems.

Somchai urged anti-government protestors to vacate the Government House.

Somchai said he had requested the People's Alliance protestors to leave 
THE Government House, which they have held since August 26, for the sake 
of the country.

Somchai, who was appointed as prime minister in September, has not yet 
been able to work in the Government House. His government has to move 
the office to Don Muang airport.

Source: Xinhua







http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/14/content_10358722.htm

Pro-Thaksin group protests in front of British embassy in Bangkok

BANGKOK, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Some 150 supporters of a pro-Thaksin group 
gathered in front of the British embassy in Bangkok Friday morning to 
protest the British government's revocation of Former Thai Prime 
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visa to the country.
They burnt effigies of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Foreign 
Secretary David Miliband to show their anger after Britain revoked visas 
of Thaksin and his wife, Khunying Pojaman.
They claimed Thaksin is a good man, and that he is unfairly treated.
About 150 police were deployed to provide security at the embassy. They 
placed iron barricades to prevent the protesters from getting near the 
embassy.
The protest went on for about half an hour.






http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=611425

Anti-govt protesters unblock road for royal funeral
Posted: 2008/11/13
From: MNN

More than 500 Thai soldiers and workers from the Bangkok Metropolitan 
Administration (BMA) on Wednesday cleaned a major thoroughfare in 
central Bangkok after the anti-government protesters dismantled 
barricades and opened all traffic lanes of the Thai capital's 
Rajadamnoen Avenue to facilitate the royal cremation ceremonies of the 
late Princess Galyani Vadhana, elder sister of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Over 200 military helped clean areas near the Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge 
and dismantled tyre barricades and other obstacles earlier placed by 
protesters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) on Ratchadamnoen 
Nok Avenue.

The avenue is the traditional main route, the historic Royal Way which 
the monarch and royal family members use to travel to Sanam Luang where 
the royal cremation ceremony for the late princess will be held November 
14-19.

The PAD have agreed to open traffic lanes on the avenue through December 
5, the birthday of the beloved Thai king. The monarch will celebrate his 
81st birthday on that day.

BMA workers are trying to open traffic lanes on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue 
before midnight Wednesday,
and they will repair damage to the road later.

PAD protesters now occupying Government House, not far away from the 
Makkawan Bridge site, said they had requested police and military to set 
up checkpoints around Government House in order to prevent their rivals 
from attacking them. (TNA) #







http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/389051/1/.html

Two Thai protesters wounded in bomb blast
Posted: 11 November 2008 1141 hrs

Thai anti-government protestors at a demonstration inside Government 
House in Bangkok.

BANGKOK: Two Thai protesters were taken to a Bangkok hospital early 
Tuesday after a small bomb went off before dawn at the site of a 
months-long anti-government rally, police said.

The explosion took place near the stage inside the grounds of the prime 
minister's offices, where supporters of the People's Alliance for 
Democracy (PAD) have been camped out since August.

"We don't know what kind of bomb it was because as usual they (PAD) 
don't allow police in immediately to examine the site inside Government 
House," police officer Colonel Somchai Chueyklin said.

The bomb comes after another explosion at the same site last Saturday 
left three protesters injured, according to the PAD.

A day later two PAD volunteer guards were arrested and have since been 
charged with drugs and weapons offences.

The pair, who PAD leaders say are no longer part of the group, were 
found with 23 homemade bombs, three grenades, four bullets, knives and 
sticks, according to local media.

PAD accuses the government of corruption and took their protest to 
parliament on October 7, causing riot police to fire tear gas that led 
to clashes leaving two dead and nearly 500 injured.

- AFP/yb






http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/thailand/2008/11/09/182405/Bomb-wounds.htm

Updated Sunday, November 9, 2008 10:42 am TWN, AP
Bomb wounds Thai protester
BANGKOK, Thailand -- A bomb blast wounded a Thai anti-government 
protester Saturday inside the government compound that an opposition 
movement has occupied for months, a spokesman for the group said.
People's Alliance for Democracy spokesman Parnthep Wongpuapan said he 
wasn't sure how the bomb was planted inside Government House grounds in 
the capital, Bangkok. He blamed unspecified enemies of the protest 
movement, which has vowed to topple Thailand's elected government.
The protesters did not report the blast to police, though officers were 
aware it had happened, police Sgt. Nareukrai Buran said.
Parnthep said the demonstrators did not report the bomb because they 
didn't want police to enter the compound to investigate. He said the 
blast occurred around dawn and the injured protester was in serious 
condition, but gave no details.
The PAD -- a loose alliance of royalists, business owners, students and 
activists -- has illegally occupied Government House, which houses the 
prime minister's office, since August. They demand that the government 
resign, saying it is a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin 
Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption.
Thaksin's allies won elections in December, but the government they 
formed has run into trouble almost from the beginning.
Current Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, who is Thaksin's 
brother-in-law, has been forced to operate out of a makeshift office at 
Bangkok's old international airport.








http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/11/09/2003428154

Explosion wounds Bangkok protester

AFP, BANGKOK
Sunday, Nov 09, 2008, Page 5
An explosion wounded a protester in the grounds of the Thai prime 
minister’s offices in Bangkok yesterday, where anti-government 
demonstrators have been camped out since August.
A police commander said the volunteer guard at Government House was not 
seriously injured in the blast, but gave few details as he was not 
allowed inside the protest compound.

“It’s their own bomb. It exploded inside the tent,” Colonel Somchai 
Chueyklin said, referring to a tent where the guards were stationed.

Local media reported the guard, Methi U-thong, was taken to a Bangkok 
hospital with head injuries and chest pain at around 4:20am.

The anti-government People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) stormed 
Government House in late August and have refused to leave since, 
accusing the government of corruption and demanding it step down.

The bomb is the latest in a series of violent incidents at the camp. On 
Tuesday a hand grenade was tossed at a group of guards, though nobody 
was hurt.

But 10 PAD guards were injured last week when another grenade was hurled 
at the camp, and one man was found shot dead nearby.

The PAD took their protest to parliament on Oct. 7, causing riot police 
to fire tear gas that led to clashes leaving two dead and nearly 500 
injured.






http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/387527/1/.html

Fresh bomb attack on Thai anti-government protesters
Posted: 04 November 2008 1711 hrs

Anti-government protesters shout slogans inside the Government House in 
Bangkok

BANGKOK: A hand grenade was tossed at a group of guards at an 
anti-government protest site in Bangkok early Tuesday, Thai police said, 
but no one was hurt in the second such attack within a week.

The small bomb went off before dawn outside the prime minister's offices 
-- known as Government House -- which have been occupied since late 
August by protesters trying to being down the elected administration.

"The bomb fell to the ground about three to four metres (yards) from a 
barricade. Up to seven guards manned the barricade," Lieutenant Colonel 
Chalermchai Wongjiem of the local police station told AFP.

"Nobody was hurt," he added.

Ten volunteer security guards for the so-called People's Alliance for 
Democracy (PAD) protest group were injured last Thursday when a grenade 
was hurled at their camp, raising fears of escalating tensions in the 
kingdom.

In other violent incidents, one man was shot dead last week and another 
injured on Sunday near the Government House protest site after arguments 
with PAD guards, who are believed to be armed.

The PAD launched its campaign to bring down the government in May, 
saying it was running the country on behalf of ousted prime minister 
Thaksin Shinawatra, whom they accuse of corruption and nepotism.

The movement erupted into violence on October 7 when police fired tear 
gas at thousands of protesters trying to block parliament. Two people 
were killed and nearly 500 injured in the resulting clashes.

At least 60 people were injured Tuesday when twin bomb blasts ripped 
through a local government office and a busy teashop in the 
insurgency-hit south of Thailand, police said.

Elsewhere in Thailand, a car bomb hit at about 11.15am (0415 GMT) 
outside a district office where village heads were meeting in Narathiwat 
province, a local police officer told AFP, and minutes later a bomb went 
off at a nearby tea shop.

"More than 60 injured people were hospitalised at Sukhirin district 
hospital and Sungai Kolok district hospital," said the police officer, 
who did not want to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the 
media.

"No deaths have been reported yet," he added.

The first bomb hit as people gathered at a fruit market opposite the 
Sukhirin district office in an area near the border with Malaysia.

In separate incidents, a 47-year-old religious teacher was shot dead in 
Narathiwat province on Monday night, while a 41-year-old man was killed 
later in a similar attack in nearby Pattani province, police said.

Tuesday's twin explosions come a week after new Thai Prime Minister 
Somchai Wongsawat visited the Muslim-majority far south and told 
reporters that the five-year-long insurgency appeared to have eased.

More than 3,400 people have been killed in rebel attacks by shadowy 
insurgent groups operating in the region since January 2004 and 
successive governments have struggled to quell the unrest.

Thailand's three far southern provinces were an ethnic Malay sultanate 
until mainly Buddhist Thailand annexed the region in 1902, provoking 
decades of tensions.

- AFP/yt






http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=100267

THAILAND: Protesters storm Thai PBS
Members of Rak Chiang Mai 51 protest a report that said some of its 
members were paid to attend the Thaksin rally on Saturday
Bangkok Post
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
CHIANG MAI --- About 200 red-clad members of the pro-government Rak 
Chiang Mai 51 group yesterday stormed into the grounds of the Thai PBS 
branch office in Chiang Mai.
They surrounded the building in an angry protest against a report that 
some its members were paid to attend Saturday's rally at Rajamangala 
Stadium in Bangkok.
They cut open the fence, blocked the building's entrance with tents, 
announced they planned to stay overnight. They threatened to cut off 
power and water supplies if Thepchai Yong, the director of the Thai 
Public Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS), the news reader and the others 
involved in providing the story refused to meet them.
The protesters said the channel reported that about 200 of the 
movement's red-clad members were paid 2,000 baht each and asked to 
travel to Bangkok in 13 buses along with others to join the 
pro-government rally, organised by the United Front of Democracy against 
Dictatorship (UDD).
An estimated 80,000 people packed the stadium and heard a 10-minute 
speech from overseas by convicted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thai PBS yesterday set up a fact-finding panel to look into the allegation.
Editor-in-chief Anuwat Chairit had a meeting with the representatives of 
the group, but the protesters were not satisfied with the talks as they 
also wanted to meet Mr Thepchai.
"We will not leave without talking to Mr Thepchai," one of its leaders said.
The group has threatened to bring a 200-million-baht lawsuit against the 
station over what it says was a false report.
Yesterday's raid is causing fresh worry among members of the media, who 
later announced in a joint statement that "media members once again were 
being threatened as a result of political conflicts in the country."
The Thai Journalists Association, Thai Broadcast Journalists 
Association, and the Thailand Cable TV Association, called on the group 
to stop threatening the Thai PBS and use proper channels to voice its 
protest. "Thai PBS will be happy to give you an opportunity to defend 
yourself because it is an international practice," read the joint statement.
In 2006, the headquarters of the Nation Group was surrounded by Mr 
Thaksin's supporters, called the Caravan of the Poor after its sister 
paper and Thai daily Kom Chad Luek published an interview of media 
firebrand Sondhi Limthongkul, who was alleged to have offended His 
Majesty the King.
Mr Sondhi is one of the five key leaders of the anti-government People's 
Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
Another protest from the pro-government camp also erupted in Prachin 
Buri province yesterday when about 100 members of the UDD Prachin Buri 
rallied in front of the TOT Plc's branch office to express their outrage 
at the on-going PAD demonstration.
The group laid a wreath with words "disgraceful action" in front of the 
office and condemned the PAD supporters and members of the TOT union at 
its head office in Bangkok for having booed and jeered PM Somchai 
Wongsawat during his visit to the Information and Communications 
Technology Ministry late last month.
Sutha Pakakan, the TOT branch manager in Prachin Buri, told the UDD that 
the TOT staff were exercising their personal right and the event had 
nothing to do with the branch office.
Date Posted: 11/4/2008






http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20081102-169823/Thai-shot-after-row-with-protesters

Thai shot after row with protesters

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 13:09:00 11/02/2008

Filed Under: Civil unrest, Politics, Protest, Government
BANGKOK--A Thai man was shot and injured on Sunday after an argument 
with volunteer guards at an anti-government protest camp in Bangkok, 
police said, as tensions heated up between rival political groups.
Four men from Samut Prakan province south of Bangkok were in the capital 
for a night out and were returning home in the early hours of Sunday 
morning when they drove past the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) 
protest camp.
"They had an argument with PAD guards and then they drove away and 
crashed with a taxi and gunfire was heard," said police captain Pomphet 
Choteklang.
One man in his early 20s received a gunshot wound in his right shoulder, 
Pomphet told AFP, but said they were still investigating who fired the shot.
Ten of the volunteer PAD security guards were injured last week when a 
grenade was hurled at their protest camp, heightening fears that 
political tensions in Thailand were again spiralling towards increased 
violence.
A man was also shot dead last week near the PAD protest site, while a 
grenade was thrown at the home of a judge.
The PAD have occupied the prime minister's Bangkok offices since late 
August and are demanding the government step down because of links to 
ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whom they accuse of corruption and 
nepotism.
On October 7, the campaign boiled over into violence after police fired 
tear gas on PAD protesters trying to block parliament. Two people were 
killed and nearly 500 injured in the resulting clashes.
Tens of thousands of anti-PAD, pro-Thaksin supporters crowded into a 
Bangkok stadium on Saturday to listen to Thaksin give a video address 
from abroad. He fled Thailand in August as graft charges mounted against 
him.
Saturday's event had raised fears of clashes between the red-shirted 
Thaksin supporters and yellow-shirted PAD, but the event ended peacefully.
Pomphet said the injured man had not attended the pro-government rally.






http://www.bangkokpost.com/021108_News/02Nov2008_news07.php

Sunday November 02, 2008
Protesters force Democrats to scrap meeting
BLOCKADES SET UP AT SESSION VENUE

 >>CHIANG MAI : Democrat party executives abruptly cancelled their 
latest regional meeting here yesterday after the pro-government Rak 
Chiang Mai 51 group blockaded the session venue, deputy leader Chaiwut 
Bannawat said.

POWER OF RED: A cardboard cut-out of Thaksin Shinawatra with United 
Front of Democracy against Dictatorship supporters in their red shirts 
at the Rajamangala National Stadium yesterday, where they heard 
Thaksin�s remarks from overseas.
Mr Chaiwut said the meeting was aimed at discussing how to develop 
regional offices.
He insisted the current political turmoil was not on the agenda.
The meeting was scheduled for the Chiang Mai Orchid hotel in Muang 
district, and was to be attended by about 100 party key members and MPs 
from 17 area offices in the North yesterday.
However, more than 100 red-clad members of Rak Chiang Mai 51, led by 
chairman Narisuan Thongyaem, blockaded the hotel entrance on Huay Kaew 
road amid tight security provided by about 50 police officers.
The Rak Chiang Mai 51 leaders took turns to criticise the Democrat 
party, saying the people of Chiang Mai did not welcome opposition leader 
Abhisit Vejjajiva, party chief adviser Chuan Leekpai and other party 
executives.
Mr Chaiwut said regional meetings had been held in every region and the 
North was the last leg.
He said Mr Abhisit, Mr Chuan and shadow agriculture minister Trirong 
Suwannakhiri were not scheduled to attend the seminar, and party 
secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban cancelled his trip to Chiang Mai 
when he learned news of the protest at the hotel.
Chiang Mai is the hometown of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin 
Shinawatra and a stronghold of the government and pro-Thaksin supporters.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and his cabinet members have been met 
by protests and blockades by the anti-government People's Alliance for 
Democracy (PAD) almost everywhere they have gone in recent months, 
particularly in the southern provinces which are Democrat strongholds.
Finance Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech met similar resistance in 
Chaiyaphum yesterday after being confronted by more than 50 PAD 
supporters carrying hand-clappers.
He was booed by the protesters when he arrived at the provincial hall 
for a briefing on the progress of a local entrepreneurship stimulus 
project.
Although he was greeted with jeers, Mr Suchart was buoyed by the 
presence of more than 500 red-clad government supporters who welcomed 
him elsewhere in the province.
Meanwhile, Mr Abhisit is due to meet Wanchai Wattanasap, director of the 
King Prajadhipok's Institute Centre for Peace and Governance, tomorrow.
The centre is among those heading moves for a peace forum to break the 
political deadlock. Mr Abhisit said he was looking forward to seeing if 
progress could be made.
The peace forum was spearheaded by the institute and the Thai 
Journalists Association.
Nevertheless, Mr Abhisit rejected Deputy Prime Minister Sanan 
Kachornprasart's suggestion that the Democrat party should make peace 
with the People Power party and form a new government.





http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=610517

Man shot near PAD`s Rajdamnoen Road protest site
Posted: 2008/11/03
From: MNN

One man was shot and seriously wounded by a security guard from the 
People`s Alliance for Democracy `PAD` near its protest site at Makkhawan 
Bridge Saturday night.

A man identified Charoon Saengsawang was shot in the right shoulder by a 
PAD guard as he drove his car past a barricade which the Peoples' 
Alliance protesters set up on Rajdamnern Avenue.

The PAD guard fired several shots at the car and the man was rushed to 
hospital.

Seksan Ayuman, one of four passengers in the bullet-riddled sedan, said 
the party had come from Khaosarn Road and intended to go home by way of 
Rajdamnern Avenue.

About 50 soldiers, with helmets and shields, stood guard at the 
PAD-occupied Government House to maintain peace. (TNA) #







http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,445608,00.html

Security Heightened After Thai Protest Grenade Deaths
Friday, October 31, 2008 | FoxNews.com

AP

Oct. 30: Anti-government protesters march past a shopping street during 
a protest in Bangkok, Thailand.
BANGKOK, Thailand — Authorities in Thailand said they are preparing for 
possible trouble at a rally Saturday by supporters of ousted Prime 
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The rally comes on the heels of several outbreaks of violence connected 
to the efforts of a protest group opposed to the current government of 
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law.
Thaksin, who was toppled in a 2006 military coup and fled to Britain 
before being sentenced to two years in prison on a conflict-of-interest 
charge, is to give a speech by video link to thousands of supporters at 
a stadium in the capital, Bangkok. His critics fear he may inflame tensions.
On Thursday, a grenade attack wounded 10 members of the anti-government 
People's Alliance for Democracy who have been blocking a main street in 
Bangkok.
Click here for photos: (Warning graphic content).
"We fear that there will be more violent incidents so security officials 
have been ordered to be on alert," Metropolitan Police Chief Lt. Gen. 
Suchart Muenkaew said Thursday, adding that there would be at least 600 
policemen at the rally, organized by the pro-government United Front for 
Democracy Against Dictatorship, or UDD.
Jatuporn Phromphan, one of the UDD organizers, said Thaksin "will be 
talking about the benefits of a democratic system and how the coup has 
thwarted that."
"This demonstration will be a peaceful show of force by those who 
support Thaksin and those who support democratic values in Thailand," 
Jatuporn said.
Concern about what Thaksin will say is widespread.
"The event organizers have claimed that the program will not be 
provocative," the English-language Bangkok Post said in an editorial. 
"Should it turn out otherwise, the UDD must be held accountable."
Thai army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkumnerd said the military would 
also be on alert in case the situation spirals out of control.
"If the police ask for help or if the situation appears to escalate 
toward violence, we would come in to prevent another round of that," he 
said in a telephone interview.
The UDD is opposed to the People's Alliance for Democracy, which is 
seeking Somchai's resignation. They charge that Somchai is a puppet of 
Thaksin, whom they accuse of corrupting Thai politics.
The alliance's militant tactics have sparked increasing tension and 
violence since it took over the grounds of the prime minister's offices 
in late August.
On Sept. 2, a street clash between government supporters and opponents 
left one person dead and several others seriously hurt.
Photo Essays
• Thailand Political Unrest
Even greater violence took place Oct. 7, when the anti-government 
alliance tried to blockade Parliament, and police efforts to dislodge 
them with tear gas led to running street battles. Two people died and 
more than 400 were injured.
Thaksin was convicted Oct. 21 of violating a conflict of interest law in 
a case relating to a real estate deal by his wife, who was acquitted. He 
had fled to Britain earlier, saying he could not get a fair trial in 
Thailand.
He is facing an array of other corruption charges.
Prosecutors have said they will seek Thaksin's extradition.






http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7699624.stm

Thursday, 30 October 2008
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Thai protesters snap up 'clappers'
By Lucy Williamson
BBC News, Bangkok

Many protesters buy bulk-loads of these plastic hands
There are lots of things about Thailand's long-running anti-government 
protests to startle a casual visitor.
The toilet paper stalls that lead down to the tangle of plastic tents 
inside Government House, for example, or the free haircuts handed out to 
protesters beside its elegant steps.
But perhaps the most surreal hallmark of this political crisis is the 
craze known as "clapping hands".
Their noise rises from inside the government compound every few minutes 
- a sound somewhere between the chattering of insects and the 
clickety-clack of factory machines.

One for the man who betrayed the country, and one for my husband!

Buntheung, shopping for clappers

It is the sound of thousands of protesters waving the latest must-have 
accessory - hand-shaped plastic rattles, in lurid colours, which clatter 
loudly when shaken.
The stalls here sell them in every colour, big or small, tied with 
string to hang around your neck, or carrying slogans: "Clapper warrior!" 
"Clappers stop the evil!" "My wife is making me do this!"
Buntheung is shopping for a new one. "I already have two," she tells me, 
"one for the man who betrayed the country, and one for my husband!"
I ask her how effective they are. "Oh it works on the husband," she says.
And the country, which many people feel has been let down by former 
prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his brother-in-law, the current 
leader Somchai Wongsawat?
"We're almost there," she says.
The handy thing about the clapping hands is that they can be used to 
express either agreement or anger. The daily speeches from the main tent 
at Government House are punctuated with the rise and fall of the 
clapping hands.
Protesters, some of whom have been camped out here for months, wave them 
lazily or vigorously depending on who's speaking, and what's being said.
"When I like what they say I just wave it," says Chin-Noi. "It's easier 
than clapping my own hands. It's fun and it makes me happy. I use a lot 
of clapper."
New friends
In fact, there's a lot of clappers around these days - inside the 
protest camp and outside it.

If you have one, it means you support the protest

Local businessman Pad-chang
Lots of shoppers browsing the stalls outside the rally admitted to 
buying up several to give away as souvenirs.
One woman said she'd been bought dozens as presents. "I think they're 
cute," she said, "People keep asking me to bring some back for them - 
they're very cool."
Another shopper, businessman Pad-chang, had already bought up several 
bags of them, and was still browsing. "You have to test them first," he 
said earnestly, "not all of them make a good sound."
They're useful, he explained, because they stop your hands from hurting 
when you clap for too long.
"It's the easiest way to show your opinion. When you don't like someone 
or you disagree with them, you shake it in front of their face! But we 
use it as a greeting too - everyone in my office has clapping hands, and 
everyone uses it."
So who are the hands in his bag for?
"Ah," he says, "these are for the children of my customers in the south 
of the country. You can see it spreading to other provinces.
"I went to a Thaksin stronghold out in the country the other day, and a 
clerk in the bank waved his clapping hand at me, so I took mine from my 
pocket and waved it back. Now we're friends."






http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7699180.stm

Thursday, 30 October 2008
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Printable version

Thai protests for Thaksin return

Protesters want Thaksin to be sent back to face justice in Thailand
Thousands of anti-government protesters in Thailand have been rallying 
outside the British embassy to press for the extradition of Thaksin 
Shinawatra.
The former prime minister was convicted in absentia last week of 
violating conflict of interest rules.
Tension between pro and anti-government groups has been heightened by a 
grenade attack on Thursday morning, targeting guards for the 
anti-government camp.
Correspondents say the violence highlights the stark political divide.
Protesters' anger
Early on Thursday, two attacks took place on anti-government targets.
An explosive was lobbed into the garden of a senior judge, and a grenade 
was thrown at a group of men guarding the encampment of the People's 
Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
Police say about 10 people were injured in the blast.
The PAD has been occupying the main government offices for more than two 
months, with the aim of toppling the administration led by Prime 
Minister Somchai Wongsawat.

Protesters say Thaksin is the real power behind the government
They claim Mr Somchai is a proxy for Thaksin, who was ousted in a 
military coup in 2006 and now lives in the UK.
Pro-government groups are promising to bring thousands of their own 
supporters in from the countryside this weekend in a show of strength.
But according to the BBC's correspondent in Bangkok, Jonathan Head, on 
Thursday the streets belonged to the PAD, who gathered outside the 
British embassy.
They are demanding that the UK government extradite Thaksin, who was 
sentenced to two years in prison for violating conflict of interest 
rules last week, and still faces several other charges.
However his conviction may not be covered by extradition agreements 
between the two countries, and Thaksin argues that he cannot get a fair 
trial in Thailand because, he says, the judiciary is sympathetic to the 
opposition.
Correspondents say there still seems to be little appetite for 
compromise in a conflict which is now taking on dangerous regional 
characteristics.
The government has just announced it will move the site of next month's 
South East Asian summit from Bangkok, which it is no longer confident of 
securing, to Chiang Mai in the north, where support for Thaksin is still 
strong.