[Onthebarricades] THAILAND: Yellow and Redshirt protests, December 2008

[global resistance roundup]

* Analysis - Understanding the situation in Thailand
* Government, opposition "should reject violence" - HRW
* Protests cost Thai Airways $560m
* December 2nd-3rd - Protesters end blockade after court victory
* December 2nd - court case moved after Redshirts storm court, drive out 
judges
* December 2nd - protester killed in bomb attack on protest camp
* November 30 - protesters capture police officer
* November 30 - PAD extends protest to minister's home
* December 1st - siege "intensifies", protesters vow fight to the death



http://www.engagemedia.org/Members/lmnop/news/thailand-dispatch/

Understanding the Situation in Thailand: A Dispatch and Analysis
by lmnop — last modified 2009-04-14 09:15

Thailand has been ruled by 100 families that descend mostly from the 
thai nobility, or from powerfull thai-chinese business families. 
Typically, when the nation state emerged, the nobility went into the 
state formations, while business was done by Chinese families, and the 
serfs or former slaves became farmers or workers. It is one of the most 
extreme unequal countries, leading to perpetual social unrest after WW 
II, but greatly helped by sex-driven tourism (at first, it’s now also a 
more traditional tourist destination), export oriented agriculture, and 
manufacturing re-assembly, particularly fuelled by the American 
investments to keep it away from the feared domino effect induced by 
Vietnam. The state has never been very mature, and typically elections 
were (and are still mostly) driven by canvassers who could be bought 
(and gave money to voters), creating the result that the investment 
needed to be recouped by corruption once elected. Parties were often led 
by mafia-type dons (called 'influential figures' here).

Before Thaksin, the country was marked by a regular transition from 
military vs. democratic governments, in the sense explained above, and 
when democratic, by shifting alliances by the various party factions 
(most of which, except the Democrats, never really parties in the 
western sense, but temporary coalitions of powerful local politicians).

Into this volatile mix came modernizer Thaksin, who combined 
neoliberalism with a keyneisan/social-democratic redistributive 
platform, his model being Singapore. The problem is that though he 
created the first mass party and marketing driven election, he was also 
very power-hungry and corrupt. This antagonized the old ruling class; 
the middle class, the only to pay taxes, became incensed by its taxes 
funding both corruption, but also his social policies (they generally 
despise the poor). Factions of the elite, both in business and 
government, were distraught by the prospect of being permanently 
excluded from the spoils if the Thaksin regime became permanent, and in 
particular, Thaksin’s personal popularity threatened to rival that of 
the formal head of state, which was seen as very problematic.

When Thaksin decided to sell the telecom crown jewels to Singapore, this 
gave the final push to create a coalition bent on ousting him. But 
because his policies immensely benefited the poor (70% of the 
population), and they supported him, they couldn't oust him, so resorted 
to a coup.

This coup was at first reluctantly accepted by the rural population, 
because it was clearly seen as backed by the monarchy, and the 
population dearly loves their King, both for the social policies 
expressed by the Royal Foundations, and his positive role as arbiter in 
past crises.

But the military government proved particularly inept, and they froze 
most of Thaksin’s social policies, if not outright dismantling them. But 
more crucially, instead of using the moral high ground against the 
generally agreed corruption, they used the legal system in clear 
political ways, to outlaw the former parties on the ground of electoral 
violantions (instead of just punishing the ones responsible for local 
failures).

When they attempted to legitimate that coup in elections, Thaksin's 
party won again with an overwhelming majority. The first 
Thaksin-friendly government, led by the corrupt right-wing politician 
Samak, did not show a particularly population friendly policy either, 
but when he was legally attacked and had to resign, and replaced by 
Thaksin’s brother in law, that incensed the royalist-middle class PAD 
movement, which had provoked the first coup. The opposition (called PAD, 
the yellow shirts) couldn't accept it, so they launched a civil 
disobedience campaign, culminating in the airport occupation, which 
brought the Thaksin-friendly government down.

This was done through a legal coup, backed by military threats against 
dissenting parliamentarians, enough defecting from the majority to form 
an alternative anti-thaksin government.

The last government by Abhisit does clearly lacked enough democratic 
legitimacy, and their blunders, such as a botched attempt to outlaw 
organic agriculture, will not have endeared to the farming majority.

All of this was a clear sign to the poor supporters of Thaksin, that the 
system was no longer democratic in any real sense, as their popular 
choice was twice disqualified. If a democratic system no longer keeps it 
potential promise of allowing alternance, it is no longer a democracy. 
The legal system also had become suspect because of its clear political 
uses, and even the central institution of thai life, the monarchy, no 
longer appears as a neutral arbiter, as there have been too many signs 
of side taking. This is very worrying to the Thai elite, as it is seen 
as the only way to keep this fractious country united. It is often said 
that because the problematic nature of the succession, anti-Thaksin 
efforts became even more crucial for them.

The status quo thus became in turn unacceptable to the pro-thaksin 
forces. I think that when Thaksin saw that he would be destroyed, his 
money taken, but that the popular support would not die down, he decided 
to mobilize in the same way as the PAD, but now in the other direction, 
showing that no government can be formed without the consent of his side.

The result is a blocked situation, no side strong enough to defeat the 
other, and with forces around the monarchy having sided with the 
anti-thaksin forces, they have lost the usual way out which his royal 
arbitrage. The latter is still possible though, given the enormous 
credit of the King.

However, as disciplined as the royalist PAD is, consisting of better 
educated middle class professionals and a large contingent of 
middle-aged women, and with a well-trained militia and support from the 
disciplined Santi Asoke movement (a kind of ‘Protestant’ Buddhist 
reformation movement that forms an alternative to the mainstream 
Sangha), as indisciplined are the popular forces of the UDD (United 
Front for Democracy and against Dictatorship). Their violent outburst 
does not endear them to the local population, and they are probably a 
too regional movement based on Isaan in northeastern Thailand, the 
poorest region, and Chiang Mai, the northern home-state of Thaksin.

Right now, in yesterday’s editorial, while the Nation calls for a 
compromise, a sensible thing to do, the Bangkok Post called out for 
bloody repression. The latter newspaper is a traditional mouthpiece of 
the elite, supporting Thaksin when he was in power, and now the 
anti-Thaksin regime, always suppressing internal journalistic dissent 
against the powers that be (they removed journalists who would report on 
corruption in the Thaksin era). So their stance reflects the rage of the 
elite and their willingness to repress the movement in blood if 
necessary. The military, tarred by past repression, only will move if 
clearly backed by some political leadership willing to take the lead. A 
problem of course, is that all institutions of the Thai state are 
divided themselves between pro and anti-Thaksin forces.

As a interesting side note. In the eighties, the then military regime 
made a deal with the communist insurgency, and a sizeable amount of the 
returnees were taken in by the royal foundations, which have very 
progressive social aspects (organic farming, self-suffiency orientation, 
more egalitarianism than usual in this very hierarchical society, and 
participation in production, at least according to my sources). The 
other half went to NGO organizing, and it is these people who were 
attracted by Thaksin to organize his social policies. The result that 
some the left is anti-thaksin, the other half pro, which is very 
confusing of course. A secret document from the Thai military confirmed 
that part of the motivation for the coup, lay in this cold war 
interpretation of the crisis, the military seeing the dangerous Thaksin 
social policies as the continuation of their struggle against the left 
in that period. In that context, was the choice of red shirts innocuous?

The PAD therefore, has some progessive elements as well, though there 
policy of invalidating the popular vote, marks it as an essentially 
anti-democratic movement that wants to disenfranchise the 
unwashed/uneducated masses (literally, hygienic class racism is very 
strong here).

On the other hand, the pro-thaksin red shirts are no angels either, 
containing their part of former mafia dons, corrupt politicians, and 
people marching to render the Gay Pride impossible in Chiang Mai a few 
weeks ago ...

It would seem that in any case, the prospects of democracy are dim.

A first scenario is that there is a bloody repression, but which can 
only offer temporary reprieve, as none of the underlying social problems 
would be solved, and Thaksin would still be popular. The danger of this 
approach, is that the popular forces would be forced to become 
independent, a much worse scenario for the Thai elite. This scenario is 
also rendered more complicated by the current meltdown, which means that 
not just the democratic hopes of the majority would be dashed, but also 
their economic hopes. This makes a Chinese scenario, an authoritarian 
regime compensated by high growth and entrepreneurial freedom, hard to 
imagine.

The second scenario is a historical compromise between both factions, 
new general elections that pro-Thaksin forces would again win, and a 
necessary amnesty for the corruption crimes of Thaksin. This would not 
sit well with the PAD forces. The only person who could force this 
scenario would be the Thai monarch.

I think the third scenario, an outright win of the red shirts at this 
stage, is highly unlikely, and they do not have enough support in the 
capital city.







http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/12/03/thailand-protest-groups-and-government-should-reject-political-violence

Thailand: Protest Groups and Government Should Reject Political Violence
End of Protests Is Time for Accountability
December 3, 2008

An anti-government demonstrator kicks a suspected pro-government 
supporter after detaining him in Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on 
December 1.
© 2008 Reuters
Related Materials:
Thailand: Government and Protesters Should End Political Violence
Now is the time for protest leaders and the government to make public 
commitments to peaceful protest and lawful police action. It is also 
time for accountability. Many people have died and been injured in 
recent months, and this cannot simply be forgotten.
Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch
(London, December 3, 2008) – With the end of the occupation of airports 
and government buildings in Bangkok, the Thai government, its proxies, 
and anti-government groups should commit to ending political violence, 
which in recent months has caused numerous deaths and injuries, Human 
Rights Watch and Amnesty International said today. The organizations 
called on the Thai government to create an independent commission to 
carry out a prompt, effective, and impartial investigation into the 
politically motivated violence by all sides in recent months and hold 
those responsible to account.
“While the end of the protests and related violence is welcome, violence 
may resume if political groups oppose the next government,” said Brad 
Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. “Now is the time for protest 
leaders and the government to make public commitments to peaceful 
protest and lawful police action. It is also time for accountability. 
Many people have died and been injured in recent months, and this cannot 
simply be forgotten.”
On December 2, 2008, Thailand’s Constitutional Court dissolved the 
governing People’s Power Party (PPP) and two other coalition parties, 
Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya, on grounds of election fraud, using a 
constitutional provision put in place by the military junta that 
overthrew Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in September 2006. The court 
also banned Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat of the PPP and 108 other 
executives of the three political parties from politics for five years, 
effective immediately, as it was deemed that they failed to prevent the 
fraud committed by members of their party executive committees. The PPP 
has vowed to reconstitute itself under another name and continue to govern.
Claiming the Constitutional Court verdict as a victory, leaders of the 
opposition People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) ended their protests on 
December 3. However, the PAD said it would renew protests if another 
person seen as a proxy for Thaksin, as Somchai was, forms a new party 
and government and becomes prime minister.
“Members of the PAD, pro-government groups, and government officials 
responsible for violence and other human rights abuses should be held 
legally accountable,” said Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific director at Amnesty 
International. “The legacy of the Thaksin era and then military rule has 
been severe weakening of the rule of law and accountability. The present 
volatile situation demands commitment from all sides to strengthen 
respect for human rights and end impunity.”
During the recent months of political turbulence, the police have at 
times used excessive force to disperse PAD protesters. The most violent 
incident took place on October 7, when police fired teargas and rubber 
bullets to disperse about 2,000 protesters in front of Parliament. News 
footage and accounts by witnesses show that police fired tear gas in a 
straight line and at close range directly at the protesters. Two PAD 
supporters died and 443 were injured, including four cases requiring 
amputation. About 20 police officers were wounded by PAD protesters who 
fired guns, shot slingshots, and threw bricks and metal pipes. Some 
police officers were run over by pickup trucks or stabbed with flagpoles.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International called on the Thai 
government to use lawful means to protect public safety and stressed 
that all measures used by the authorities need to be proportionate to 
the level of threat or legitimate objective to be achieved. The United 
Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law 
Enforcement Officials provide that authorities shall, as far as 
possible, apply nonviolent means before resorting to the use of force 
and firearms. Whenever the lawful use of force and firearms is 
unavoidable, the authorities shall use restraint and act in proportion 
to the seriousness of the offense. The Basic Principles also require an 
effective reporting and review process, especially in cases of death and 
serious injury.
“While police have the right to use force to defend themselves and 
others from attack, the extensive casualties demand an investigation 
into whether the police used excessive force,” said Adams. “Whenever 
serious injuries occur during protests, such an investigation should be 
mandatory.”
Since November 23, the PAD has carried out what it called “the final 
war” to overthrow the elected government of Prime Minister Somchai 
because of its close ties to Thaksin. With strong financial, political, 
and logistical support from anti-government political parties, business 
people, and elements of the military and police, the PAD proposes 
greater powers under a new constitution for the military and non-elected 
officials. Many of its supporters are armed, and some have engaged in 
violent attacks against police and pro-government groups.
On November 24, Sonthi Limthongkul and other PAD leaders led thousands 
of protesters from Government House (which was occupied by PAD on August 
26) to surround the Parliament and cut electricity supplies in the 
compound, forcing the joint session between the House of Representatives 
and the Senate to be canceled. Another group of protesters then 
surrounded the nearby headquarters of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police. 
Police decided not to use force to disperse protesters, concerned that 
if they used force against PAD supporters the army would use it as a 
pretext for a military coup.
Claiming that they wanted to secure the perimeter around the Parliament 
and Government House, armed PAD members acting as security guards for 
the movement seized passenger buses and used them as barricades in a 
roadblock and as shuttles to move protesters between various rally 
points. The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) reported that a number 
of buses from route numbers 3, 53, 56, and 515 were seized by PAD 
guards. Thousands of people were stranded at bus stops after bus service 
in inner Bangkok had to be rerouted or suspended out of security 
concerns. On November 24, police arrested six PAD guards who were trying 
to take over passenger bus number 53 from in front of the United Nations 
regional headquarters, using machetes, guns, and homemade grenades.
After declaring victory by forcing the parliamentary session to be 
canceled, PAD leaders directed protesters to besiege the temporary 
government office established at Don Muang international airport on 
November 24. On November 25, they disrupted the government’s attempt to 
hold a cabinet meeting at the headquarters of the Thai armed forces. PAD 
supporters then occupied Bangkok’s Suvarnabumi and Don Muang 
international airports, on November 25 and 27 respectively.
Contrary to its claims that PAD is a nonviolent, unarmed group, its 
leaders have armed many of their supporters and have made no visible 
efforts to disarm its followers. Many PAD security guards and protesters 
have been arrested at police checkpoints across Bangkok with guns, 
explosives, knives, and machetes. For example, on November 25, Thai 
police reported that they arrested an armed PAD guard with a submachine 
gun, a pistol, a knife, homemade grenades, and a large quantity of 
ammunition. On November 28, 17 PAD protesters were arrested at a police 
checkpoint while trying to use a pickup truck marked with Red Cross 
symbols to smuggle weapons to the protest site at Suvarnabumi 
international airport. News footage and accounts by witnesses show PAD 
armed guards assaulting and detaining many people in their protest 
sites, accusing them of being government supporters.
On November 28, the PAD leader Sonthi, who did not sleep with protestors 
at the airport or other protest sites, broadcast a message on television 
and the internet telling PAD’s armed guards and protesters that they 
should be willing to sacrifice their lives to defend their protest 
sites. “We will protect our strongholds,” he said. “If we have to die, 
then so be it ... Do not worry brothers and sisters ... Shed your blood 
if that it is necessary ... Our protest is righteous and constitutional 
... We will not open the gate to police. If they charge it and shoot at 
us, we will fire back.”
“The PAD has been trying for months to provoke a violent police response 
to its protests in the express hope of triggering a military coup d’etat 
and bringing down this government,” said Zarifi. “The PAD should 
understand that when it uses force, including firearms, to endanger 
lives not only of law enforcement officers but also of ordinary 
citizens, it cannot claim to be a peaceful movement.”
The PAD has shown open hostility toward the media. On November 29, a PAD 
leader, Somkiat Pongpaiboon, told reporters covering the protests that: 
“We are now at war and cannot control everything. People can get angry 
[with media reports]. We cannot guarantee your safety.”
Reporters for the government media outlet National Broadcasting of 
Thailand (NBT) have often been threatened by protesters and chased out 
of the protest sites. On November 30, a mobile broadcast truck of the 
cable TV channel TNN-24 was shot at while covering the siege of 
Suvarnabumi international airport. Protesters forced reporters to take 
off their T-shirts with anti-violence slogans when they entered protest 
sites, particularly at Suvarnabumi.
The PAD has also actively advocated the use of charges of lese majeste 
(insulting the monarchy) against supporters of the government to stifle 
free expression. It has accused many pro-government websites of 
promoting anti-monarchy sentiments, a serious attack on freedom of 
expression given Thailand’s strict lese majeste laws. More than 400 
websites have closed in 2008, some by order of the police, others out of 
fear.
“Media freedom and freedom of expression in Thailand have been at risk 
from the political conflict,” said Adams. “The PAD has shown little 
respect for these basic human rights.”
Pro-government groups have also committed abuses. Members of the 
Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) ambushed convoys of 
protesters with bricks, water bottles, and slingshots. PAD rally sites, 
as well as its media outlet ASTV, were attacked with grenades and 
gunfire almost every night, resulting in four deaths and more than 50 
injuries to date. PAD leaders accuse pro-government groups, including 
those led by Maj. Gen. Khattiya Sawatdiphol, of being responsible for 
these attacks. Police crime scene investigation teams, however, have 
found it difficult to investigate, as the PAD has obstructed police from 
timely access to the protest sites and tampered with evidence.
Over the past seven months, pro-government groups have attacked about a 
dozen PAD rallies across Thailand. Many of these attacks were reportedly 
financed and coordinated by members of Prime Minister Somchai’s party. 
On July 24, more than 1,000 members of the pro-government Khon Rak Udorn 
Club used force to break up a rally of about 200 PAD protesters in Udorn 
Thani province. Similar attacks also took place in Bangkok, Udorn Thani, 
Sakol Nakhon, Chiang Mai, Sri Saket, Chiang Rai, Mahasarakham, and 
Buriram provinces. On December 2, a grenade was fired from a flyover 
near Don Muang international airport, killing an anti-government 
protester and wounding more than 20 others. None of the perpetrators of 
these attacks have been brought to justice.
“Pro-government forces have carried out violence with impunity against 
protesters in recent months,” said Zarifi. “The Thai legal system has to 
hold these criminals accountable or the cycle of violence is likely to 
continue.”
Schools near PAD protest sites have been closed down to protect students 
and teachers from the spillover of violence. Many violent clashes 
between the PAD and pro-government groups have been captured on camera, 
including a clash on November 25 in front of the headquarters of the 
pro-government Taxi Radio Group. Pro-government taxi drivers gathered in 
front of their Bangkok headquarters and threw bricks and water bottles 
at PAD convoys. In response, PAD protesters opened fire with guns and 
slingshots at the assailants. Some PAD protestors jumped off their 
trucks to attack members of the Taxi Radio Group with machetes, wooden 
sticks, and flagpoles. Before escaping, PAD protesters set motorcycles 
on fire and tried to force TV reporters to erase their videotapes. At 
least 11 members of Taxi Radio Group were rushed to hospitals, most with 
gunshot wounds.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are also deeply concerned 
about violence outside Bangkok. On November 26, a deadly clash took 
place in Chiang Mai province, in the north, where Prime Minister Somchai 
had been forced to set up a temporary office, between the pro-government 
Rak Chiang Mai 51 Group and the PAD. The red-clad Rak Chiang Mai 51 set 
up armed units to protect Prime Minister Somchai, who was forced to set 
up a temporary government office in the north of the country. They first 
attacked and critically injured two officials of the Constitutional 
Court, who were mistaken for PAD protesters, at Chiang Mai airport. They 
went on to “hunt down” the yellow-clad PAD and block them from staging 
protests against Somchai. Petchawat Watanapongsirikul, a prominent 
government supporter in Thailand’s northern region, led about 100 
members of Rak Chiang Mai 51 Group to attack PAD’s Vihok radio station 
in Chiang Mai province with machetes, homemade grenades, guns, 
slingshots, wooden sticks, iron pipes, and bricks. News footage and 
accounts by witnesses show that police and local authorities made no 
effort to stop the violence, in which one member of PAD’s Vihok radio 
station was hacked and shot to death.
“The police cannot take sides in fights between armed groups,” said 
Adams. “They have a duty to intervene impartially when violence occurs 
and faithfully uphold the law.”
The safety of children was at risk during the protests. Despite the fact 
that many PAD protesters were armed and that PAD protest sites were 
often the site of explosions and gunshots, many children were present at 
protest sites. Instead of keeping children away from danger, PAD leaders 
regularly brought children onto the stage with them at Government House, 
which had been targeted in a number of deadly grenade attacks. If 
protests begin again, PAD leaders, protesters, and police should take 
steps to ensure that all children are kept away from dangerous 
locations, and in particular from potential clash points. Police and 
other government forces must ensure that their actions do not endanger 
children.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International expressed concern about the 
potential for abuse of the sweeping powers granted to police under the 
Emergency Decree announced by Prime Minister Somchai on November 27. The 
decree authorizes the police to end the seizure of both airports. The 
decree remains in force and the police can activate the following 
emergency powers at any time:
1. Prohibiting any person from leaving a dwelling place during the 
prescribed period;
2. Prohibiting the assembly or gathering of persons at any place or any 
conduct that may incite or lead to an unrest;
3. Prohibiting the publication, distribution or dissemination of 
letters, print materials or any means of communications that may 
instigate fear among the people or are intended to distort information 
to cause misunderstanding of the emergency situation affecting security 
or public morality, both in the area or locality where a state of 
emergency had been declared or the whole country;
4. Prohibiting the use of communications routes or vehicles or 
prescribing conditions on the use of communications routes or vehicles;
5. Prohibiting the use of buildings or barring entry or exit;
6. Evacuating people from a designated area for the safety of such 
civilians or prohibiting any person from entering a designated area.
Section 5 of the Emergency Decree provides no limitation as to how many 
times a state of emergency can be extended. This creates the risk of 
arbitrary and disproportionate limitations on rights and freedoms 
protected under international law on an indefinite basis.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International expressed concern that the 
Emergency Decree also contains a broad-based immunity provision. Section 
17 states that a competent official and a person having identical powers 
and duties as a competent official are not subject to civil, criminal, 
or disciplinary liabilities arising from the performance of emergency 
powers, provided that such act is performed in good faith, is 
non-discriminatory, and is not unreasonable in the circumstances 
exceeding the extent of necessity. Extending as it does to all police 
actions, including those which may violate non-derogable human rights, 
such as the right to life and freedom from torture and other 
ill-treatment, Section 17 breaches Thailand’s international obligations, 
including under the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
Rights, to investigate all such violations regardless of circumstances, 
and hold perpetrators to account.
With the end of the protests, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty 
International urged the Thai government to immediately repeal the 
Emergency Decree at Don Muang and Suvarnabhumi international airports.
“No one should be allowed to stand above the law,” said Zarifi. “It is 
important that all those responsible for abuses be brought to justice 
and held accountable for what they did.”






http://www.fin24.com/articles/default/display_article.aspx?Nav=ns&ArticleID=1518-1783_2436605

Protests cost Thai Airways $560m
Dec 03 2008 13:31

Bangkok - The head of flag carrier Thai Airways said on Wednesday that 
the airline had lost about $560m because of the protest blockades at 
Bangkok's two main airports.
Both the main Suvarnabhumi international airport and the Don Mueang 
domestic hub reopened on Wednesday after anti-government protesters 
ended their occupation, but the cost of the eight-day long movement has 
been huge.
"Since the airports were closed and until now, Thai Airways has lost 
20bn baht (about $560m)," said Narongsak Sangapong, acting president of 
Thai Airways.
"This amount does not include the losses that might come from fewer 
tourists," he added.
A Bank of Thailand official has said that tourist arrivals could drop by 
3.5m from projected numbers next year because of the turmoil.
Airlines have been trying to get an estimated 350 000 stuck passengers 
out of the U-Tapao naval airport south-east of Bangkok, Chiang Mai 
international airport in the north, and the southern resort isle of Phuket.
Narongsak said that Thai Airways had already sent home 30 000 of the 50 
000 stranded passengers that it is dealing with.
He said they would hold a board meeting before deciding who to seek 
compensation from.
The flag carrier was already suffering from volatile fuel prices and 
lower passenger numbers, posting losses of 9.23bn baht in the second 
quarter of 2008 - its biggest quarterly loss in a decade.
Thai Airways president Apinan Sumanaseni resigned from the board late 
last month, citing health reasons and ongoing disagreements with the board.
Protesters gave up their siege of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang after a 
court on Tuesday dissolved the ruling party and forced out the prime 
minister, one of the key demands of the demonstrators.
- AFP





http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=160458

Thai court disbands ruling party, protests set to end

An anti-goverment protester reacts to the news that Prime Minister 
Somchai Wongsawat's ruling People's Power Party must disband.
Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was banned from politics for five 
years and his party disbanded on Tuesday, spurring exultant 
anti-government protesters to end their blockades of Bangkok’s airports.
Government party members will switch to a new “shell” party already set 
up and they said they would vote for a new prime minister on Dec. 8, 
setting the stage for another flashpoint in Thailand’s three-year 
political crisis. Chavarat Charnvirakul, a construction mogul and first 
deputy prime minister, was named interim leader, an official said. 
Anti-government protesters cheered Somchai’s fall after only 2½ months 
in power and their leader said they would halt all rallies, including 
blockades of Bangkok’s airports.
People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) leader Sondhi Limthongkul said 
they would start pulling out of Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports at 
10 a.m. (0300 GMT) today.
“We’ve finished our duty,” said Sondhi, who had accused Somchai of being 
a pawn of his brother-in-law, Thaksin.
“If a puppet government returns or a new government shows its 
insincerity in pushing for political reform, we will return.”
The airports operator said it would decide on Wednesday when passenger 
flights in and out of the capital could resume. While the chaos may soon 
be over for thousands of stranded travelers in Thailand, the country’s 
wider conflict between forces loyal to ousted Prime Minister Thaksin 
Shinawatra and Bangkok’s royalist elites looked set to drag on. “The 
divisions are so deep, it’s difficult to see how it could be over,” said 
political analyst Giles Ungpakhorn of Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.
The Constitutional Court also disbanded two other parties in Somchai’s 
six-party coalition for vote fraud in the 2007 general election and 
barred their leaders from politics for five years.
The rulings raised the risk of clashes between red-shirted government 
supporters, who forced the judges to find a new venue after surrounding 
the court, and yellow-shirted PAD protesters, who had invaded the 
airports in a “final battle” to oust Somchai. Hours before the court 
decisions, one person was killed and 22 wounded after a grenade was 
fired at protesters at Don Muang. Thailand’s revered King Bhumibol 
Adulyadej, who has intervened in previous political crises during his 
six decades on the throne, made no mention of the country’s troubles 
during a short speech at a Trooping the Color military parade in Bangkok.
The annual ceremony, in which the king speaks about the need for 
military probity, was a picture of tradition and serenity, in marked 
contrast to the chaos elsewhere in Bangkok.
Stranded tourists
Around 250,000 foreign tourists have been stranded by the week-long 
sit-ins at Don Muang, a domestic hub, and the bigger Suvarnabhumi 
international airport.
“By Wednesday afternoon, I should be able to issue a statement on when 
we return to normal,” Serirat Prasutanond, acting head of Airports of 
Thailand, told Reuters. Earlier, he said the airports would stay closed 
until Dec. 15 for security and systems checks. The first cargo flight in 
a week left Suvarnabhumi on Tuesday, a welcome sight for a tourist- and 
export-dependent economy already suffering from the global financial 
crisis. Finance Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech told Reuters on 
Monday the economy might be flat next year, or grow by just 1-2 percent, 
after earlier growth forecasts of between 4-5 percent.
The travel chaos worried neighbors who were to attend a regional summit 
in Thailand in two weeks, prompting the government to postpone it until 
March 2009, a spokesman said.

























http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24741988-38196,00.html?from=public_rss

Thai protesters to leave Bangkok airport
 From correspondents in Bangkok
Agence France-Presse
December 02, 2008 08:20pm
ANTI-GOVERNMENT demonstrators have agreed to allow flights to resume 
from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport after a week-long 
blockade, a protest leader said.
"As of this moment the PAD (People's Alliance for Democracy) has allowed 
flights to take off and land immediately, both passenger and cargo 
flights," senior alliance member Somkiat Pongpaiboon said.

The PAD occupied Suvarnabhumi and the smaller Don Mueang domestic 
airport last week, stranding 350,000 passengers and causing massive 
damage to the Thai economy.

Thailand's airport authority confirmed there was an agreement with 
protesters, saying flights may be able to resume if there are no 
"technical problems".

"We have reached an agreement with PAD to start clearing protesters from 
the passenger zone to reopen Suvarnabhumi Airport," said Vudhihaandhu 
Vichairatama, chairman of the board of Airports of Thailand.

"But how soon depends on technical issues. If there is no technical 
problem the first flights would resume within 24 hours."







http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=6380895

International Air Links Being Restored in Thailand
International air links being restored; political parties look for new 
Thai prime minister
By DENIS D. GRAY Associated Press Writer
BANGKOK, Thailand December 3, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press
Court dissolves Thailand's top three ruling parties over electoral fraud.
Thailand's battered political parties tried to come up with a candidate 
Thursday to replace the ousted prime minister as airport authorities 
hurried to restore international air links severed by protesters who 
occupied Bangkok's two airports for a week.
The airport sieges, which were lifted Wednesday, had stranded more than 
300,000 travelers while an unknown number have been trying to fly into 
Thailand from around the world.
Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport was taking in a limited 
number of international flights but Associated Press reporters at the 
airport said none were yet flying out. Travelers were using U-Tapao 
airport in eastern Thailand to leave the country.
But the national airline, Thai Airways, said in a news release that it 
would operate 24 international flights — 12 outbound and 12 inbound — to 
and from Europe, Asia and Australia at Suvarnabhumi before midnight 
Thursday.







http://story.floridastatesman.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/c08dd24cec417021/id/437461/cs/1/

Bangkok protestors lay down conditions for leaving airports
Big News Network (UPI)
Tuesday 2nd December, 2008
Anti-government protestors in Bangkok have agreed to leave two Thai 
airports after the Constitutional Court effectively removed the ruling 
government.

Protestors had besieged the airports for over a week, in an effort to 
topple the administration.

The People's Alliance for Democracy said in a statement that they would 
leave both Suvarnabhumi International Airport and Don Mueang on Wednesday.

But they also threatened to return unless two conditions were met by the 
new government.

The PAD statement said the next government could not be a puppet regime 
for Thaksin Shinawatra and would need to introduce new politics.

The PAD, which has been opposed to the return to power of Thaksin and 
his followers, described their sit-ins at the airports as a 'last 
battle' to bring down the government of Thai Prime Minister Somchai 
Wongsawat, who is Thaksin's brother-in-law.

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Thai-protesters-force-dissolution-of.4751970.jp

Thai protesters force dissolution of government - but airports remain closed

A pro-government protester shouts slogans at a court in Bangkok. 
Picture: AFP/Getty Images

Published Date: 02 December 2008
By DAVID GUNN
THAILAND'S government finally stepped down today in the face of mass 
protests, but the country's main airport looked set to remain closed for 
a least another fortnight.
A court found the top three ruling parties guilty of electoral fraud and 
temporarily banned the prime minister from politics.

The Constitutional Court ruling set the stage for thousands of 
protesters to end their week-long siege of the country's two main airports.

Protest leaders said a decision on whether to end the airport protests – 
and allow hundreds of thousands of stranded travellers to leave the 
country – would be made later today. A Thai aviation official said 
Suvarnabhumi international airport was to reopen to cargo flights 
despite the siege.

But the country's airports director Serirat Prasutanont said that 
Suvarnabhumi will remain closed to passenger flights until at least 
December 15 due to the disruption caused by the anti-government protesters.

He said it lost nearly £7 million due to the week-long closure forced by 
anti-government protesters.

After the court ruling a government spokesman said Prime Minister 
Somchai Wongsawat and his six-party ruling coalition would step down.
"We will abide by the law. The coalition parties will meet together to 
plan for its next move soon," he said.

Somchai had become increasingly isolated. Neither the army, a key player 
in Thai politics, nor the country's much-revered king had offered him 
firm backing.

Somchai's People's Power Party, the Machima Thipatai party and the Chart 
Thai party were found guilty of committing fraud in the December 2007 
elections that brought the coalition to power with a thumping majority.

The case stems from an earlier Supreme Court conviction of a PPP 
executive committee member, Yongyuth Tiyapairat, who was found guilty of 
buying votes. Under Thai law, an entire party can be disbanded if one 
executive member is found guilty of electoral fraud. Similar individual 
cases brought down the other parties.

The court dissolved the parties "to set a political standard and an 
example," said Court President Chat Chalavorn. "Dishonest political 
parties undermine Thailand's democratic system."

Members of the three dissolved parties who escaped the ban can join 
other parties, try to cobble together a new coalition then choose a new 
prime minister.

Until then, deputy prime minister Chaowarat Chandeerakul will become the 
caretaker prime minister.

Despite the appearance of a smooth political transition, the ruling is 
expected to widen the dangerous rift in Thai society that many fear 
could lead to violence between pro– and anti-government groups.

Hundreds of Somchai's supporters gathered outside the court to express 
their anger, saying the swiftness of the ruling – which came just an 
hour after the closing arguments ended – reeked of predetermination. At 
one point they cut off the power supply to the court, but electricity 
was restored with diesel generators.

Outside the airport, the verdict was read out on a protest stage outside 
the main terminal, triggering cheers and loud roars of jubilation.

Protest leaders, meanwhile, told alliance members to stay put at 
Suvarnabhumi and the smaller Don Muang domestic airport, despite the ruling.

Up to 10,000 protesters have besieged the airports, forcing authorities 
to shut them down, cutting off all commercial air traffic to the 
capital, stranding more than 300,000 foreign travellers.

With the two main airports closed, stranded travellers are being flown 
out of provincial airports with limited passenger capacity or are making 
their way overland to neighbouring Malaysia.








http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=612860

Thailand: Court moves political party dissolution case to new venue to 
avoid protest
Posted: 2008/12/02
From: MNN

Thailand`s Constitution Court judges have moved their consideration of 
the ruling party`s dissolution case Tuesday to the Supreme 
Administration Court in the Chaeng Wattana area after hundreds of `Red 
Shirt` group.

The pro-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) 
demonstrators surrounded the office of the Constitional Court in an 
attempt to bar the judges from entering the office.

The People Power Party, Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya parties have 
been charged with electoral fraud and, if found guilty, would have to be 
dissolved.

The final hearing in the case, which could result in the disbanding of 
the ruling People Power Party and two coalition partners, began at 10 am 
at the Supreme Administrative Court.

Banhan Silpa-archa, Chart Thai Party leader was the first to give the 
closing statement for the case to defend his party against charges that 
it was involved in electoral fraud punishable by party disbandment.

The People Power Party and the Matchimathipataya Party did not 
participate in the session.

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, in his capacity asPeople Power Party 
leader, would consequently be banned from politics for five years as 
imposed in the Constitution if his party found guilty of electoral fraud.

Apart from Mr. Somchai, all 37 executives of the People Power Party 
would likely be given similar punishment.

The case has proceeded amid a demonstration by hundreds of 
pro-government supporters.

The judicial panel moved from the Constitution Court to the Supreme 
Administrative Court after it was known that the Constitution Court 
judges has decided to relocate its session to the Supreme Administrative 
Court.

The pro government supporters were protesting the imminent verdict which 
they assume to be leading to the party's disbandment.

However the verdict, if announced as predicted, is not the end of the 
road for the People Power Party though.

The Constitution allows MPs of a dissolved party to move to another 
party within 60 days in order to retain their parliamentary seats.

A new political party is waiting to welcome them, the Puea Thai Party 
which was registered by some members of the People Power Party.

Under such a scenario, the majority of MPs in the three disbanded 
parties would move to their new homes while the disbanded parties' 
executives would be banned from politics for five years.

There is, however, some leniency in the Constitution. The government 
bloc would not necessarily lose its seats in the House because MPs of 
the People Power Party could move to the Puea Thai Party.

A few names have surfaced in the political discussions of the past few 
weeks as potential replacements for prime minister Somchai at the helm 
of a new government controlled by the ongoing coalition bloc. (TNA) #





http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/thailand-bomb-blast-protester-killed-and-22-injured-14088927.html?r=RSS

Thailand bomb blast: Protester killed and 22 injured
Tuesday, 2 December 2008

An anti-government protester points to broken glass inside Don Mueang 
Airport December 2, 2008 in Bangkok, Thailand. One person was killed and 
over 20 injured in a grenade explosion inside Don Mueang Airport in 
Bangkok early today.

An anti-government protester was killed and 22 others were wounded by a 
bomb blast at one of Bangkok’s two blockaded airports last night.
There were reports that a grenade was fired from a flyover near Don 
Muang domestic airport, which has been occupied since Thursday by 
royalist demonstrators from the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
The PAD, whose supporters wear yellow to show their backing for the King 
of Thailand, has described its mass sit-in as the “final battle” in its 
efforts to remove the Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat. Amid 
counter-demonstrations by the red-shirted activists of the ruling People 
Power Party, there have been fears of a civil war. Until yesterday, the 
protests had been largely peaceful, although there were accusations that 
a PPP supporter shot a PAD demonstrator near the main Suwaranabhumi 
international airport.
An emergency official said 17 of the wounded in yesterday’s blast, which 
took place last night, had already been discharged from hospital. Fears 
of violence escalated after hundreds of protesters of both factions 
began moving through the capital.
PAD activists abandoned their sit-in at the Prime Minister’s office to 
reinforce those at the two airports, while PPP supporters surrounded the 
constitutional court, which is due to rule today on claims that people 
were paid to vote for the party, which could be dissolved if the claims 
are upheld.
The court has moved with uncharacteristic speed to wrap up the case. If 
it finds against the PPP, Mr Somchai and other leaders would be barred 
from politics and many cabinet ministers would have to step down. The 
|dissolution of the PPP, however, will not necessarily mean a snap 
election, because many MPs will simply switch to a new “shell” party. 
The PAD |accuses Mr Somchai of being a pawn for his brother-in-law, the 
former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup 
and is now in exile.
Mr Somchai insisted yesterday that he would not step down. “I will not 
quit and I will not dissolve parliament,” he said in the northern city 
of Chiang Mai.
The chaos has worried Thailand’s neighbours, who are due to meet in the 
country in two weeks for a regional summit. This may now be delayed.
Suwaranabhumi Airport has been blockaded for a week and stranded foreign 
travellers were growing more desperate yesterday with no sign of an end 
to the situation. All the main insurance companies have said they will 
not pick up the tab for accommodation and other costs, leaving many 
visitors to Thailand with money worries. Among Britons, there was anger 
that UK officials had done less for their nationals than most other 
countries. France, Spain, China are chartering aircraft to fly people 
out, while the Australian embassy is helping stranded tourists in 
Bangkok travel to the southern island of Phuket, where air traffic has 
not been disrupted.
The British embassy in Bangkok was closed all weekend and did not return 
calls yesterday. “Every other country is chartering aircraft to pick up 
their citizens; ours is doing nothing,” said Helen Coultish, 55, who was 
trying to get back to Britain with her husband John, 62. “I’ve got an 
elderly mother who thinks we are in the middle of riots. She is very 
worried.”






http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1446041.php/Hundreds_protest_court_case_against_Thai_parties__1st_Lead__

Hundreds protest court case against Thai parties (1st Lead)
Asia-Pacific News
Dec 2, 2008, 3:34 GMT
Bangkok - Hundreds of pro-government demonstrators wearing red shirts 
and carrying clubs rallied Tuesday against Thailand's Constitution 
Court, which was expected to read a verdict that could dissolve the 
ruling political party.
The nine judges on the case had to shift the venue to the Administrative 
Court building in northern Bangkok to avoid a gathering of the 
pro-government Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD), who had 
planned to gather outside the Constitution Court in an effort to block 
the verdict.
Even so, the Administrative Court was quickly surrounded by more than 
1,000 DAAD members. The court was under the protection of Thai soldiers 
troops armed with M-16 rifles.
The DAAD is a pro-government movement that is a reverse image of the 
People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the anti-government protestors 
who have occupied Bangkok's two airports, closing off the capital to air 
traffic in their bid to topple the administration.
'Closing the court will cause a lot less damage to the country than the 
PAD's seizure of our airports,' said one DAAD protestor who asked to 
remain anonymous. 'And why are the soldiers armed with M-16s against us. 
They never do anything about the PAD.'
The Constitution Court has sped up the final hearing of three election 
fraud cases involving the People Power, Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya 
parties, which comprise the current coalition government.
The Nation newspaper reported that court president Chat Chonlaworn 
confirmed that verdicts will be handed down Tuesday following the 
morning's hearing for closing statements from the three parties.
Based on past court precedents, it is expected that all three parties 
will be found guilty of violating election laws in the December 23, 2007 
polls, because top party executives have already been found guilty of 
vote-buying.
Under the Thai constitution, parties must be dissolved and their key 
executives banned from politics if even one of their members is found 
guilty of election fraud.
If the ruling People Power Party is dissolved by the court, Prime 
Minister Somchai Wongsawat would be forced to resign along with most of 
the cabinet.
In the ensuing power vacuum, several scenarios are possible.
The remaining members of the People Power party, which won about 230 out 
of 480 contested seats in the 2007 general election, are expected to 
shift to the Puea Thai party, which would hold enough seats to form a 
new coalition government with remnant members of the Chart Thai and 
Matchimathipataya parties.
The Constitution Court could also establish a Supreme Council to rule 
the country on an interim basis prior to a new election.
While that option is favoured by many Thais as a means of placating the 
anti-government protesters who have held Bangkok's two airports hostage 
to force the government step down, it is not expected to be accepted by 
government supporters.
The pro-government DAAD, or 'red shirts,' are expected to protest any 
guilty verdict against the People Power party and reject any effort to 
establish a non-elected government.
Government politicians suspect the Constitution Court of working 
hand-in-hand with the PAD, a loose coalition of groups united only in 
their desire to prevent a political comeback by fugitive former prime 
minister Thaksin Shinwatara, a populist politician who dominated Thai 
politics during his two-term, 2001-06 premiership and now lives in 
self-exile.
The PAD has lost much of its popularity by closing the airports last 
week, causing the Thai economy incalculable damage, but it remains 
untouchable for the police and military who have refrained from cracking 
down.
The PAD is known to have the support of members of Thailand's political 
elite, including leaders of the army, which toppled Thaksin with a coup 
in September 2006.
It has, however, been the target of several attacks by unknown 
assailants. A grenade attack on PAD followers at Don Mueang Airport 
early Tuesday left one protestors dead and 20 injured.
'Backers of the PAD have been playing a high-stakes game,' said Thitinan 
Pongsudhirak, a political scientist from Chulalongkorn University.
There are worries that the DAAD will launch the kind of street protests 
and civil disobedience tactics practiced by the PAD over the last six 
months that have brought the country to its knees.
They could also unleash their fury on the PAD.
'Then, who can stop the DAAD? Only Thaksin,' said Thitinan.





http://www.chinapost.com.tw/asia/thailand/2008/12/02/185727/Thai-protesters.htm

Updated Tuesday, December 2, 2008 9:29 am TWN, By Darren Schuettler, Reuters
Thai protesters tighten blockade
BANGKOK -- Thai protesters prepared to end their three-month occupation 
of the Prime Minister's office on Monday to consolidate their grip on 
the main airport ahead of a court verdict that could dissolve the 
elected government.
Leaders of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) 
said they would invite neutral observers into the Government House 
compound, which they overran in late August, prior to a hoped-for 
handover later on Tuesday.
"We want to show the authorities that the damage wasn't 100 million to 
200 million baht (US$5.6 million) as claimed by the government," PAD 
spokesman Suriyasai Katasila said. "If everybody is happy, we may hold a 
returning ceremony tomorrow."
PAD supporters streamed from the central Bangkok site to Suvarnabhumi 
airport, suggesting it is merely shifting its focus rather than giving 
up. Government House site was hit by several grenades in the past two 
weeks, killing one and wounding dozens.
The yellow-shirted demonstrators are trying to topple Prime Minister 
Somchai Wongsawat, whom they accuse of being a pawn for his 
brother-in-law, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was ousted in 
a 2006 coup and is now in exile.
Somchai insisted again he would not go. "I will not quit and I will not 
dissolve parliament," he told reporters in the northern city of Chiang Mai.
Forecasts for an economy already suffering from the global financial 
crisis are grim.
Finance Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech told Reuters on Monday the 
economy might be flat next year, or grow by just 1 to 2 percent, after 
earlier growth forecasts of between 4-5 percent.
Thailand's Board of Trade director said the cost of the airport closures 
was "incalculable", but a senior board member offered a figure, telling 
the Nation newspaper lost export earnings ran at around 3 billion baht 
(US$85 million) a day.
The air cargo industry has ground to a halt, while the city's main 
domestic hub, Don Muang, has also been occupied for 5 days.
Rating agency S&P cut Thailand's outlook to negative from stable, saying 
there was a possibility of widespread violence.
The chaos has worried Thailand's neighbours, due to meet in the country 
in two weeks for a regional summit. The Thai cabinet is expected to 
approve a delay to March at their Tuesday meeting.
The general manager of Suvarnabhumi said it could take a week to resume 
operations when the protesters finally leave, because security and 
computer systems had been compromised.






http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2008120234538

Clash Between Rival Protesters Expected in Bangkok

DECEMBER 02, 2008 03:38

Hundreds of passengers are shouting at the luggage scanner, but the 
waiting line does not budge. The only four ticket counters are in a 
mess, and the entrance of the airport has long been a huge parking lot.
The Associated Press described the scene yesterday at U-Tapao air base 
in Pattaya, the only way in and out of Thailand.
The situation is worsening as anti-government protesters occupied 
Bangkok airports for the seventh day. Moreover, pro-government 
protesters began their own rally, foreshadowing a violent confrontation 
with anti-government protesters.
▽ No. of stranded passengers to hit 300,000
The Thai government is airlifting passengers at U-Tapao, located 140 
kilometers south from Bangkok, but this is expected to make little 
difference because the base can only handle 40 flights a day, a far cry 
from the 700 going through Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
Foreign media said an estimated 240,000 passengers were stranded since 
airports in Bangkok were blocked, and even if the protesters leave, more 
than 300,000 people will be affected since at least a week will be 
needed to check airport facilities and security equipment.
Bangkok is spending 1.1 million dollars a day on accommodations and 
meals for stranded passengers, but says the number of tourists next year 
will be half of this year`s, six million to seven million.
▽ Confrontation between rival protesters likely
AFP said the anti-government People`s Alliance for Democracy were 
leaving the office of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, which they 
occupied for three months, and headed for Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang 
airports. A PAD source said they decided to move because of the 
continued attacks on the office, including Sunday’s explosions that 
injured some 50 people.
Protestors allowed 37 of 88 flights in Suvarnabhumi to leave, but 
without passengers.
Expected to worsen the situation are some 15,000 members of the 
pro-government United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship, or UDD, 
waged protests for the second day in downtown Bangkok. They plan to 
besiege the Constitutional Court, which will rule today on if the ruling 
coalition violated election law, foreshadowing a violent confrontation 
with the PAD.






http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20081202_Thai_judges_forced_to_flee_after_protesters_swarm_court.html

Posted on Tue, Dec. 2, 2008

Thai judges forced to flee after protesters swarm court
By Denis D. Gray
Associated Press
BANGKOK, Thailand - Hundreds of pro-government demonstrators swarmed 
around a court building today, forcing the relocation of judges who will 
rule on the fate of a Thai government beset by protests and a virtual 
shutdown of international air links.
Judges of the Constitutional Court had to scurry to a suburban courtroom 
where they are to decide whether Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and 
others in his party committed electoral fraud, a move that would see him 
banned from politics and his party dissolved.
Hours earlier, an explosive device was hurled into a crowd of 
antigovernment protesters at Bangkok's domestic airport, killing one 
person and wounding 22, said Surachet Sathitniramai of the Narenthorn 
Medical Center.
The court is expected to rule this week, and if the decision goes 
against Somchai, it could dampen protests by the People's Alliance for 
Democracy, which has been seeking Somchai's ouster through daily 
protests and the seizure of Bangkok's domestic and international airports.
It also could inflame pro-government supporters who have been gathering 
their strength in recent days and widen a dangerous rift in Thai 
society, further paralyzing government machinery and draining the economy.
Late yesterday, the explosive device fired from an elevated highway fell 
among hundreds of protesters, some of them asleep, inside Don Muang 
domestic airport, Surachet said. A protest leader, Somsak Kosaisuk, said 
the crowd was hit by a grenade from an M-79 launcher.
It was the third such attack in two days by unidentified assailants 
targeting the protesters. Seven people have been killed and scores 
injured in bomb attacks, clashes with police, and street battles between 
government opponents and supporters.
Neither the army, a key player in Thai politics, nor the country's 
much-revered king have offered Somchai the firm backing he needs to 
resolve the crisis. Many Thais hope the court ruling will help defuse 
it. Even if Somchai is removed and the protesters disperse, it is 
expected to take at least another week before the airports become 
operational again.
The airport closure has severed all commercial flights in and out of the 
capital, forcing thousands to cancel vacations during peak tourist 
season, and halted vital postal air services, preventing the arrival of 
medicines and other necessities.
Authorities say more than 300,000 travelers are stranded, with that 
number growing daily. The lucky ones are being flown out of a provincial 
airport with limited passenger capacity or are making their way overland 
to neighboring Malaysia.
Somchai has been working out of Chiang Mai since Wednesday, saying he 
wants to avoid confrontation with the protest alliance. Yesterday, he 
went to a Buddhist temple in the northern city and prayed with dozens of 
monks for the health of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who celebrates his 81st 
birthday Friday.
Asked about the crisis, he told reporters: "The authorities are working 
in line with due process, but we have to depend on police, soldiers and 
civil servants." He declined to elaborate.
The protesters accuse Somchai of being a puppet of ousted Prime Minister 
Thaksin Shinawatra.





http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/3540832/Thai-protests-Bomb-kills-one-at-Bangkok-airport.html

Thai protests: Bomb kills one at Bangkok airport
A bomb blast has killed an anti-government protester and wounded 22 at 
Bangkok's blockaded Don Muang airport, hours before the ruling in a vote 
fraud case that could deal a crippling blow to the government.

Last Updated: 6:38AM GMT 02 Dec 2008

Channel 7 television said an M79 grenade was fired from a flyover near 
the domestic airport, which has been occupied by the People's Alliance 
for Democracy since last Thursday, part of the escalating campaign to 
topple the six-party ruling coalition.
An emergency services official said 17 of the wounded in the blast, 
which occurred shortly after midnight, had already been discharged from 
hospital.

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of talks
Thai protesters were due to end a three-month occupation of the prime 
minister's office on Tuesday to consolidate their grip on the 
international airport, which has also been blockaded for a week, adding 
to the pain of a tourist- and export-dependent economy already suffering 
from the global financial crisis.
The Constitutional Court has moved with uncharacteristic speed to wrap 
up a case that could dissolve the elected government. It is expected to 
order the disbanding of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's People Power 
Party (PPP) and two coalition partners.
If it does, Mr Somchai and other leaders would be barred from politics 
and many cabinet ministers would have to step down. The PPP's 
dissolution, however, will not necessarily mean a snap election as many 
MPs will simply switch to a new "shell" party.
The yellow-shirted demonstrators are trying to topple Mr Somchai, whom 
they accuse of being a pawn for his brother-in-law, former premier 
Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup and is now in exile.
Mr Somchai has insisted he will not go.
"I will not quit and I will not dissolve parliament," he said.





http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/290402/%20class=

Sunday, 30 November 2008
Protesters abduct Thai police officer at airport

Chris Blake - The Associated Press
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Anti-government protesters occupying Thailand's 
international airport seized a police officer, escalating tensions in a 
four-day standoff that appeared headed for a violent confrontation 
Saturday.
The trouble started after about 1,000 demonstrators moved in on a police 
checkpoint near the Suvarnabhumi international airport, triggering a 
showdown that ended without violence when officers hastily withdrew.

Police, many in full riot gear, had a much more visible presence 
Saturday with several hundred in the area.
Associated Press reporters saw one policeman being grabbed at the 
checkpoint by three protesters, forcibly put in a vehicle, and driven 
away toward the airport controlled by the demonstrators.
It was not immediately known if the officer was still being held.
Members of the People's Alliance for Democracy seized the Suvarnabhumi 
airport on Bangkok's outskirts on Tuesday night, and the smaller Don 
Muang airport in the city on Wednesday, in an unexpected twist to their 
monthslong campaign to oust the government.
The alliance 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. 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 Thai economy and 
tourism industry.
Hundreds more protesters arrived at the airport overnight, boosting 
their number to several thousand, and ambulances lined up in 
anticipation of raids by police.
The alliance has also taken over the sprawling compound of the prime 
minister's office in the heart of Bangkok.
Alliance leader Chamlong Srimuang attempted to rally supporters gathered 
in the prime minister's compound, accusing police of blockading the 
airport to deny protesters food and water. "This is urgent. If you want 
to join us, go help our friends in Suvarnabhumi," Chamlong said in a 
speech televised on the anti-government television station ASTV. "We are 
going to encircle police when they try and shut our friends out from any 
help."
But acting National Chief Gen. Pateep Tanprasert insisted they would do 
everything they could to avert a crackdown on protesters.
"We are following the prime minister's instruction to end the crisis as 
soon as possible," Pateep said. "My strategy is also based on 
nonviolence. Currently, we are trying to open negotiations with 
protesters."
However, a member of the alliance said discussions were not on the agenda.
"Our stance is clear. We do not negotiate," said Parnthep Wongpuapan, an 
alliance spokesman. "If police try to break in, we definitely will 
defend ourselves."
In downtown Bangkok, about 20 soldiers -- unarmed but wearing flak 
jackets and carrying batons and shields -- were posted near Victory 
Monument, a roundabout that hosts a station of the city's elevated 
transit system.
A soldier who refused to give his name told The Associated Press the 
unit was sent out "to monitor the situation in case third parties and 
ill-intended people decide to get involved."
The Thai government on Thursday declared a state of emergency at 
Suvarnabhumi and at the smaller Don Muang domestic airport but has not 
taken any further firm steps. Its failure to end the 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. He did, however, demote the 
national police chief amid speculation the two had policy disagreements.
Government spokesman Nattawut Sai-Kua said National Police Chief Gen. 
Pacharawat Wongsuwan was demoted to an inactive post in the prime 
minister's office.
Nattawut declined to comment on the order, issued by Somchai.
The airport takeover capped months of demonstrations that took a 
dramatic turn when the protest alliance seized the prime minister's 
office three months ago, virtually paralyzing the government.
------
Associated Press writer Mick Elmore contributed to this report.








http://www.mathaba.net/rss/?x=612764

________________________________________
PAD extends protest to Interior Minister`s home, targets others
Posted: 2008/12/01
From: MNN

People`s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters moved to stage a 
protest at the residence of Interior Minister Kowit Wattana to bring 
further pressure on the government.

BANGKOK, Nov 30 – The anti-government coalition protesters read their 
statement in front of the minister's house, calling for the revocation 
the emergency decree at Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang Airports.

They demanded that the minister resign from his post, claiming he 
ordered the use of force against protesters. However, the protest was 
peaceful amid the police security.

Amorn Amornrattananon, a protest leader, said the PAD planned to move to 
protest at the homes of the prime minister and Serirat Prasutanond, 
acting president of Airports of Thailand (AoT).

Meanwhile, there was a report that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat left 
Chiang Mai to visit a temple in the northeastern province of Nakhon 
Phanom and would stay overnight at a hotel in Udon Thani. (TNA) #






http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=676256&rss=yes

Thai protesters release empty aircraft
17:57 AEST Mon Dec 1 2008
124 days 7 hours 43 minutes ago
By Boonradom Chitradon

Government supporters have flooded downtown Bangkok, calling for an end 
to the six-day standoff.

Anti-government protesters have allowed 37 empty airliners to leave 
Bangkok's besieged main airport after agreeing to a request by Thai 
authorities, officials say.
A total of 88 aircraft had been stranded at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi 
international airport since demonstrators stormed the terminal and 
forced it to close last Tuesday, an Airports of Thailand spokeswoman 
said on Monday.
"Thirty-seven aircraft have left Suvarnabhumi since the first aircraft 
of Siam GA (a regional airline) took off on Sunday evening," the 
spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, the Australian government was working with Qantas to get 
about 300 Australians out of Thailand on a flight from Phuket on Monday 
night, as the department of foreign affairs advised holiday-makers to 
think twice about heading to Bangkok.
The airports spokeswoman said that of the original 88 stranded planes, 
29 belonged to flag carrier Thai Airways, 16 to Thai AirAsia and 15 to 
private-run Bangkok Airways.
The remaining 28 aircraft were from various other airlines, 12 of them 
belonging to the airlines of foreign countries.
No passengers were allowed to leave through Suvarnabhumi, officials said.
The People's Alliance for Democracy protest movement has refused to 
leave the airport, and the smaller Don Mueang domestic hub in Bangkok 
which it has occupied since last Thursday, until the government resigns.
Thailand's political crisis escalated on Sunday when thousands of 
pro-government activists converged on Bangkok to counter rival 
protesters who seized the two airports last week and have forced the 
prime minister to run the country from outside the capital.
About 15,000 red-shirted pro-government activists had converged on city 
hall in downtown Bangkok on Sunday night, and about 1,500 of them 
remained there on Monday morning, police said.
"We will rally again this afternoon at the same place. Right now we are 
allowing our people to rest," Chinawat Haboonpard, a leader of the 
pro-government group, told Agence France-Presse.
Their presence had raised fears that further bloodshed could deepen 
Thailand's bitter political crisis, with clashes between the two camps 
in a northern city last week leaving one person dead.
Chinawat said the group had not yet decided whether to launch a blockade 
of the Constitutional Court, which is due Tuesday to wrap up a case that 
could see the ruling party disbanded for vote fraud and Prime Minister 
Somchai Wongsawat banned from politics.
"We have to consult among ourselves for the best solution," said 
Chinawat, whose pro-government group is called the United Front for 
Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD).
Meanwhile, the anti-government protesters started Monday to abandon the 
prime minister's offices in central Bangkok, which they have occupied 
since late August, a spokeswoman for the demonstrators said.
Supporters will now move to Bangkok's airports to reinforce the 
blockade, said Anchalee Paireerak, a spokeswoman for the People's 
Alliance for Democracy protest movement.
"It's too risky to stay at Government House because of repeated attacks 
against us," Anchalee told Agence France-Presse.
"All of us have started to move now, we expect to complete the movement 
this evening."
About 100,000 travellers have been stranded in Thailand by the protests, 
with the main exodus point so far being the Vietnam War-era Utapao naval 
base 190 kilometres south-east of Bangkok.
Acting national police chief General Prateep Tanprasert said the 
agreement to let the empty planes leave Suvarnabhumi was helpful, adding 
that negotiations with the demonstrators were "progressing".
"There are positive signs such as the releasing of planes and allowing 
Muslim pilgrims to leave. We may still have a positive end at this 
stage," Prateep said.
Hundreds of Muslims who were trapped at Suvarnabhumi for days as they 
headed for the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia were taken to 
Utapao by bus on Sunday.
Foreign passengers began checking in Monday at special desks set up by 
airlines at hotels in Bangkok and a major convention centre in the 
capital, as part of a bid to ease the backlog, officials said.
Travellers have also been flying from regional hubs including the 
southern tourist town of Phuket and the northern city of Chiang Mai, 
where Somchai - who is himself stranded - is currently running a virtual 
government-in-exile.
Local newspapers said protesters allowed the airliners to leave 
Suvarnabhumi airport starting Sunday, but that the departing planes 
nevertheless dimmed their lights to avoid notice of anyone potentially 
violent.
Some countries evacuated nationals by land.
The Australian embassy was helping stranded tourists in Bangkok travel 
to Phuket, where air traffic has not been disrupted, for onward travel 
to Australia.
However, the evacuation mission requires a 14-hour bus ride to the 
tourist resort.
"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.
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has upgraded its 
advice for Bangkok, suggesting Australians reconsider their need to 
travel to the city.
The overall advice for Thailand is to exercise a high degree of caution.
Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Crean said Australian authorities 
were continuing to negotiate more flights with their Thai counterparts.
"We are making every effort to use alternate approaches, not just the 
Phuket option, but also Utapao airport ... (and) Chang Mai," Crean told 
ABC Television on Monday.
He said the government was very "frustrated" with Thai airport authorities.






http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5263758.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093

December 1, 2008
Protesters at paralysed Bangkok airport threaten fight to death
Sian Powell in Bangkok
Thousands of government supporters rallied in Bangkok yesterday, stoking 
fears of violent clashes with militants who have held the international 
airport since last week and brought the region's busiest hub to a 
standstill.
The protests came after several grenade attacks against the fiercely 
royalist anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which 
injured as many as 52 people and raised fears of open violence in 
Thailand's worst political crisis in decades.
In one attack a grenade was hurled into the Prime Minister's compound in 
central Bangkok, which has been held by the yellow-clad PAD since 
August. PAD militants have attacked police trying to order several 
thousand of them to leave Suvarnabhumi airport, chasing riot squad 
officers away from the terminal and letting air out of their vehicle tyres.
PAD guards, armed with staves and clubs, have blocked roads into 
Suvarnabhumi - Thailand's main airport - checking identification before 
allowing access. Egged on by speeches from its leaders, the group said 
that it would “fight to the death” before surrendering Suvarnabhumi. The 
Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat, the leader of the ruling People Power 
Party, has refused to step down as demanded by the PAD. He has instead 
moved the seat of government to the relative safety of the northern city 
of Chiang Mai, a stronghold of government support.
Panitan Wattanayagorn, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn 
University, said he believed the two sides were slowly moving from 
posturing and isolated acts of violence towards open confrontation. He 
said: “With everybody moving into tight corners, nobody knows what will 
happen.” Polls showed that 60 per cent of Thais did not support either 
side, he added.
With Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports at a standstill for 
more than five days, pressure is on the Government to find a solution, 
salvage Thailand's tourism industry and find a way to assist as many as 
100,000 stranded tourists, including perhaps thousands of Britons, to 
return home.
Openly hinting that he fears a military coup, Mr Somchai is awaiting a 
Constitutional Court decision - perhaps as early as tomorrow - that may 
dissolve his party if it is found guilty of vote-buying charges. Dr 
Panitan said that the King's birthday speech scheduled for Thursday 
might also push either side into giving way.
Meanwhile, thousands of hot and weary tourists, desperate for a flight 
home, crowded into U-Tapao military airbase, 90 miles south of Bangkok, 
which has been pressed into service. It has a small terminal with one 
X-ray machine and two sets of wheeled air-steps. As tempers frayed and 
tourists began shouting and shoulder-charging the glass doors into the 
terminal, Anne Ryan and Andrew Carter, from London, waited for newly 
purchased seats on a flight out of Thailand.
Originally booked on Eva Air, they said they could not afford to wait 
indefinitely for a flight home. Eva Air had told them, they said, that 
December 11 was potentially the first date that they could fly, and that 
had to be confirmed. “We've got to get back,” Ms Ryan said. “There's 
life and work and animals waiting for us.”






http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=6364589

Thai Crisis Deepens as Airport Siege Intensifies
Thai leader attends Buddhist ceremony as protest grows at airports, 
political crisis deepens
By VIJAY JOSHI Associated Press Writers
BANGKOK, Thailand December 1, 2008 (AP)
The Associated Press


The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters holds picture of 
Thai King and Queen during an...
(Vincent Thian/AP Photo)
Thailand's leader attended a Buddhist ritual Monday, seemingly 
indifferent to a deepening political crisis that has paralyzed his 
government, shut down two main airports and stranded 300,000 foreigners 
in the country.
The crisis is draining millions of dollars from the country's economy 
even as Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat appears powerless to remove 
radical anti-government protesters who have occupied the airports for 
the past week. He has refused to send in police to evict them for fear 
of bloodshed, instead making weak pleas for the protesters to go home.
The protesters have vowed to stay until Somchai steps down but he has 
refused.
Late Monday, an explosive device detonated among protesters camped 
outside the capital's Don Muang domestic airport. An official at Mongkut 
Wattana hospital said 13 people were injured by shrapnel. She spoke on 
condition of anonymity because she is not authorized to speak to the press.






http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24738027-38196,00.html?from=public_rss

Protests strand 350,000 travellers
 From correspondents in Bangkok
Agence France-Presse
December 02, 2008 12:31am
AN estimated 350,000 passengers have been unable to fly out of Thailand 
since anti-government protesters shut down Bangkok's two airports last 
week, according to a senior tourism official.
The main Suvarnabhumi international airport has been shut since last 
Tuesday when protesters besieged it in their bid to topple the premier, 
and a day later they stormed the smaller Don Mueang domestic airport.

"Around 350,000 passengers remain stranded in Thailand since the closing 
of the airports," said Sasithara Pichaichannarong, permanent secretary 
at the tourism ministry,.

That figure includes Thais who were booked on flights out of the kingdom.

She said that the tourism ministry would today ask the cabinet to give 
them one billion baht ($42.86 million) to fund repatriation efforts for 
stranded foreigners, and to bring back the Thais stuck abroad.

"We have currently received only a 10-million-baht budget for this 
operation, which is certainly not sufficient," she said.

About 10,000 Thai nationals are estimated to be stuck abroad by the 
airport closures, an official from the foreign ministry said.

Tourists are scrambling to leave Thailand via the small, Vietnam-era 
U-Tapao airport south-east of Bangkok, where queues snake round the 
basic terminal and thousands of passengers jostle to get their luggage 
through one scanner.

Check-in facilities have also been opened at a hotel and a convention 
centre in Bangkok to try to work through the backlog of frustrated 
holidaymakers.

Some tourists are also flying out of provincial airports including 
Phuket and Chiang Mai. France, Spain and Australia have sent special 
flights to evacuate desperate citizens stuck in Thailand.

The government has warned that the week-long siege of the airports will 
be crushing for the tourism industry, with one minister saying one 
million jobs could be lost next year and arrivals could drop by half.






http://news.morningstar.com/newsnet/ViewNews.aspx?article=/DJ/200811300704DOWJONESDJONLINE000264_univ.xml

Thai Police Order Protesters To Leave Bangkok's Domestic Airport11-30-08 
7:04 AM EST | E-mail Article | Print Article
BANGKOK (AFP)--Thai police Sunday issued a new order to protesters 
occupying Bangkok's Don Mueang domestic airport, saying that anyone who 
fails to leave the site could be jailed or fined.
The order, the second to be directed at anti-government demonstrators at 
the airport since a state of emergency was declared there Thursday, also 
banned gatherings of more than five people.
Demonstrators occupied the main Suvarnabhumi international airport on 
Tuesday and the smaller Don Mueang airport the following day, stranding 
around 100,000 travellers.
"People gathering at Don Mueang should leave the area immediately. Those 
who defy face a maximum of two years in jail or a maximum fine of 40,000 
baht ($1, 140)," said the order issued by the Metropolitan police.
Similar orders have been issued at Suvarnabhumi.
Don Mueang is also where Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has set up his 
temporary headquarters, as protesters have occupied the main cabinet 
offices at Government House in Bangkok since August.
But Thai authorities have so far adopted a carrot and stick approach to 
the protests, with police saying earlier Sunday that they were in fresh 
negotiations with the demonstrators.






http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/01/thailand-protest-airport-pad

Thai protesters allow planes to leave Bangkok airport
Airlines to ferry stranded travellers home from other Thai airports
• Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok
• guardian.co.uk, Monday 1 December 2008 10.54 GMT
• Article history

Travellers pack the U-Tapao airbase from where they have been leaving 
Thailand after protesters blockaded Bangkok's international airport. 
Photograph: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
Empty planes were today being flown out of Thailand's main international 
airport after anti-government protesters, who have blockaded the site 
for almost a week, agreed to their removal.
The planes, which have sat idle on the apron at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi 
international airport, were flown to other Thai airports and some will 
be used to ferry the 100,000 stranded foreign travellers out of the country.
The minor advance in the standoff came as People's Alliance for 
Democracy (Pad) demonstrators began moving from the government 
headquarters they have occupied for three months to bolster numbers at 
Suvarnabhumi and Bangkok's barricaded domestic airport.
With no sign of police moves to end the deadlock and the misery of 
travellers, the airports authority warned it would take at least a week 
to reopen Suvarnabhumi even after the occupation ended because security 
and computer systems may have been compromised.
"Normally checking the IT systems takes one week," said Serirat 
Prasutanond. "We have to check, recheck, check, recheck."
Meanwhile, pro-government protestors, who rallied for a second day in 
Bangkok, feared a constitutional court ruling tomorrow could be used by 
Thailand's royalist-military establishment as a back-door way to break 
the deadlock.
The court, which has moved with uncharacteristic haste, will decide if 
the ruling People Power party (PPP) and two other coalition partners 
should be disbanded for electoral fraud, a move that would bar the prime 
minister, Somchai Wongsawat, from politics for five years.
But even that might not satisfy Pad's desire to force a new election as 
many PPP MPs could switch allegiance to a new "shell" party.
Airline operators said they intended to put the rescued planes into 
service quickly at the U-Tapao airbase, which has been used to 
repatriate about 30,000 travellers so far, and other airports like 
Phuket and Chiang Mai.
France said today it had chartered a plane to help its stranded 
nationals get home. The flight was due to arrive in Thailand tomorrow 
and depart on Wednesday, with priority being given to "the most urgent 
situations", according to the French foreign ministry.
But for many tourists whose airlines have shown little inclination to 
use more creative solutions to get them out of the country, they feel 
trapped and demoralised, unable to enjoy their extended holiday.
"We're so tired. When can we go?" asked the Iranian Ali Golbabei. The 
25-year-old was told government vouchers for accommodation had run out, 
but he had no money left after holidaying in Pattaya. "No one is helping 
us."





http://www.nowpublic.com/world/thai-protesters-flock-prime-ministers-office-airports

Thai protesters flock from Prime Minister's office to airports
Share:
by Dave Keating | December 1, 2008 at 03:28 am
37 views | 0 Recommendations | 1 comment
The protestors who have taken over Thailand's airports are refusing to 
budge until the government steps down. Meanwhile, hundreds of protestors 
who had camped out in front of the prime minister's office are moving to 
the airports, as the leadership of the protest movement comes to grip 
with the unexpected upper hand they now have after the airport takeover.
Attention is now shifting to a court verdict that could end the crisis. 
Tuesday will being the end of a vote fraud case that could deliver such 
a strong blow to the current government that it would have to step down.
The hardline group, calling itself the People's Alliance for Democracy 
(PAD), says it will not allow the airports to reopen until Thailand's 
elected government steps down.
Their latest move follows a string of recent bombings at the group's 
protest sites, particularly Government House, in which injured 51 people 
were injured on Sunday alone. On several occaisions the PAD's "guards 
has openned fire. The protesters blame government supporters for the 
explosions but it is still unclear who is behind them.
"It's too risky to stay at Government House because of repeated attacks 
against us," said Anchalee Paireerak, a spokeswoman for the PAD. "All of 
us have started to move now, we expect to complete the movement this 
evening. We will go to both Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports," she 
added.
The situation in Thailand remains extremely tense with rumours swirling 
and several possible scenarios which could unfold over the coming days. 
None of them provide any comfort for the 100 000 foreign tourists, 
including over 5 000 Britons, stranded by the week long closure of one 
of Asia's busiest airports.





http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/12/1/worldupdates/2008-12-01T085450Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-367942-1&sec=Worldupdates

Monday December 1, 2008
Thai protesters ignore police order to quit airport
By Darren Schuettler
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters ignored a police order to 
end a blockade of Bangkok's main airport, which entered its seventh day 
on Monday, as the country's attention shifted to a court case that may 
force the government to resign.

Thousands of pro-government supporters rally in Bangkok November 30, 
2008. (REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang)
The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has occupied two 
airports in its campaign to topple Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, let 
some planes leave the main Suvarnabhumi airport on Sunday to pick up 
stranded tourists from other airports, but there was little other sign 
of compromise.
PAD members in yellow shirts lined up for rice and soup from the back of 
pick-up trucks as leaders launched anti-government invective from a 
stage outside the terminal.
On Sunday, police ordered the thousands of protesters to end the siege 
of Suvarnabhumi and the older Don Muang airport, a domestic hub, warning 
that offenders would be jailed or fined.
The stakes have risen with thousands of government supporters rallying 
in the capital, the first show of strength by the Democratic Alliance 
Against Dictatorship (DAAD) since the PAD launched its "final battle" 
against Somchai last Monday.
The DAAD rally passed off peacefully, and there were no reports of the 
feared confrontations during the night with PAD activists who are also 
occupying the prime minister's official compound, not far from the site 
of the rally.
It was held ahead of a ruling in a vote fraud case that could deliver a 
crippling blow to the six-party coalition government.
The Constitutional Court has moved with uncharacteristic speed to wrap 
up the case on Tuesday. It is widely expected to order the disbanding of 
Somchai's People Power Party (PPP) and two other coalition partners.
If it does, Somchai and other leaders would be barred from politics and 
many cabinet ministers would have to step down. However, PPP's 
dissolution will not necessarily mean a snap election as many MPs will 
simply switch to a new "shell" party already lined up.
DAAD leader Veera Musikapong has denounced the court case as a 
"concealed coup". Government supporters have threatened to take to the 
streets if the ruling goes against Somchai.
THAKSIN'S PUPPET
PAD supporters want to evict Somchai because they say he is merely a 
front for his brother-in-law, former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who was 
ousted in a 2006 coup and lives in exile.
Enormous damage is being inflicted on the economy by the airport 
seizures and the collapse in business confidence, at a time when the 
global slump is hurting exports.
PAD supporters see that as a price worth paying.
"Obviously it hurts the economy, but it's the only way we can push out 
this government. We have to sacrifice something," Prathan Tandavanitj, 
60, told Reuters at the airport.
Finance Minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech has said economic growth 
could slow to 2 percent in 2009 from the 4.5 percent officially 
projected by the planning agency for this year, a figure that is looking 
increasingly out of reach.
The airport sit-ins have sparked rumours of a military coup, although 
the army chief has said he will not seize control.
The chaos has worried Thailand's neighbours, due to meet in two weeks 
for a regional summit. Surin Pitsuwan, head of Southeast Asia's 
10-nation grouping, ASEAN, said a postponement might be wise.
It was unclear how police would enforce their order to clear the 
airports. Around 200 police in riot gear were spotted at one point on 
Sunday, but they made no move towards the PAD barricades and later 
retreated.
The government is shuttling tourists to U-Tapao, a Vietnam War-era naval 
air base east of Bangkok, where airlines are picking up stranded travellers.
At least 30 of 88 aircraft have flown empty out of Suvarnabhumi since 
Sunday to pick up passengers from U-Tapao and other airports, the 
Bangkok Post said on its website.
(Additional reporting by Vithoon Amorn)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters





http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1445772.php/Rival_protests_square_off_in_Bangkok_showdown_looms__2nd_Roundup__

Rival protests square off in Bangkok, showdown looms (2nd Roundup)
Asia-Pacific News
Nov 30, 2008, 11:48 GMT
Bangkok - Leaders of a pro-government rally on Sunday threatened to 
block what they call a 'judicial coup' while an opposition group 
continued its occupation of Bangkok's two airports, setting the stage 
for a showdown.
On Tuesday, Thailand's Constitutional Court is scheduled to pass a 
verdict on whether the ruling People Power Party committed election 
fraud in the December 23, 2007 general election.
A guilty verdict would lead to the dissolution of the PPP and the 
banning of its top executives from office. Prime Minister Somchai 
Wongsawat would lose his post, allowing the opposition People's Alliance 
for Democracy (PAD) to claim victory.
'On December 2 I think so many people will go to the Constitution Court 
that there will be no place to stand, and the judges will not be able to 
enter to pass their verdict,' said Chatuporn Phomphan, a PPP member and 
key speaker at the pro-government Democratic Alliance Against 
Dictatorship (DAAD), which gathered for a rally Sunday at the Bangkok 
Metropolitan Authority.
Chatuporn has called the Constitutional Court's planned verdict a 
'judicial coup' against the government.
Tens of thousands of DAAD followers attended the Sunday rally against 
the PAD, the anti-government movement that has seized Bangkok's two 
airports - Suvarnabhumi International and Don Mueang - cutting the 
capital off from air traffic and causing untold economic damage to the 
country, while disrupting travel plans for thousands of travellers.
The DAAD wear red shirts, to distinguish themselves from the PAD, who 
favour yellow T-shirts, the colour associated with Thai King Bhumibol 
Adulyadej.
The PAD, a loose coalition of groups adamantly opposed to the 
possibility of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra returning to 
power, has been holding protests to bring down the government, which is 
made up of Thaksin loyalists, for the past six months.
It launched its 'final battle' last week, invading Suvarnabhumi 
International Airport on Tuesday, forcing the facility to close down 
completely by Wednesday, and taking over Don Mueang, the capital's 
former airport, the following day.
Although Somchai declared both airports under emergency decree and 
ordered the police to clear the protesters from the facilities, the 
authorities had not acted as of Sunday evening.
The police last cracked down on the PAD on October 7. The incident, 
which left two PAD followers dead, drew immediate criticism of the 
police. Thai Queen Sirikit attended the funeral of one of the victims.
The police are also aware that Somchai may no longer be prime minister 
after Tuesday, depending on the court's ruling.
Copying the PAD's tactics of civic protest, the DAAD is now expected to 
block the court ruling.
If the ruling PPP was disbanded it is expected that the PAD and its 
political supporters would push for an appointed interim cabinet, set up 
by the Constitutional Court.
Besides broad backing from Bangkok's middle class, the PAD is known to 
have the support of many members of Thailand's political elite, 
including the army.
While Thai authorities have yet to take action against the PAD, there 
are growing concerns that pro-government demonstrators will prove less 
conciliatory.
There are fears that the DAAD, which has been law-abiding thus far, will 
turn to violence in the coming days to rein in the PAD.
'Thailand is tipping out of control,' warned Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a 
political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. 'The DAAD 
could go on its own rampage, and then who will stop them? Only Thaksin.'
Thaksin, a billionaire former telecommunications tycoon turned populist 
politician who dominated Thai politics during two terms as premier 
between 2001-06, is currently a fugitive, living in self- exile to avoid 
a prison sentence for corruption.
But he remains the central character in Thailand's unfolding political 
drama.
Thaksin is known to be the main financier behind the ruling People Power 
Party. Somchai is his brother-in-law.
The PAD's main goal has been to keep Thaksin from returning to power but 
some fear the movement is actually paving the way for his comeback, by 
creating political chaos and devastating the economy.
'The PAD, ironically, is playing into Thaksin's hands,' Thitinan said.






http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20081202-175584/Thai-protesters-abandon-PMs-office

Thai protesters abandon PM's office
Demonstrators redeploy at Bangkok's airports
By Thanaporn Promyamyai
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 04:26:00 12/02/2008

Filed Under: Explosion, Civil unrest, Bangkok Crisis
BANGKOK – (UPDATE) Thai anti-government protesters Monday ended a 
three-month sit-in at the prime minister's offices, redeploying to help 
demonstrators tighten their paralyzing grip on Bangkok's airports.
Leaders of an alliance trying to force premier Somchai Wongsawat to 
resign said they were abandoning Government House because of recent 
grenade attacks that have killed two protesters and wounded dozens more.
But in an apparent climb-down in the stand-off, which has left 350,000 
travelers stranded, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) allowed 37 
empty aircraft to fly out of Suvarnabhumi international airport.
"It's too risky to stay at Government House because of repeated attacks 
against us," PAD spokeswoman Anchalee Paireerak said. "All of us have 
started to move now."
Despite the shift, one person was killed and 20 protesters wounded by a 
bomb blast at the capital's Don Mueang domestic airport early Tuesday, 
reports said, in the latest attack on the anti-government demonstrators.
At the heavily fortified Government House compound, last hit by a blast 
on Sunday that wounded 49 people, an AFP reporter saw hundreds of 
supporters leaving carrying plastic bags and sleeping mats.
"I will miss it. I would like to stay here," said Wan Ounkonc, 63, as 
she washed dishes before heading off to the domestic Don Mueang airport.
Another PAD spokesman, Suriyasai Katasila, said the movement hoped to 
hand over the site to the government on Tuesday morning.
The royalist PAD seized the cabinet offices in August as part of a 
campaign they launched in May to topple an elected government they 
accuse of running the country on behalf of former premier Thaksin 
Shinawatra.
Thaksin, who is Somchai's brother-in-law, was ousted in a 2006 coup.
They took that campaign to unexpected heights last week, storming 
Suvarnabhumi on Tuesday and then occupying Don Mueang the next day as 
part of a "final battle" against the administration.
Their departure from the premier's offices could ease the risk of 
clashes with protesters from a rival pro-government group who camped out 
in Bangkok for a second day just a few kilometers (miles) from 
Government House.
The PAD are known as the "Yellow Shirts" due to the color of their 
attire which symbolizes devotion to Thailand's King -- while the 
government's supporters are dubbed the "Red Shirts" because of their 
scarlet outfits.
But fresh tensions were brewing after the Red Shirts threatened a 
blockade of Thailand's Constitutional Court, which is due Tuesday to 
wrap up a vote fraud case that could disband the ruling party and bar 
Somchai from politics.
Police said they had asked the army to help protect the court.
Meanwhile Somchai is due to attend a ceremony in Bangkok on Tuesday 
ahead of the birthday of the deeply revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej -- 
but the premier is currently marooned in the northern city of Chiang Mai.
Thais may also be waiting for the king, the world's longest reigning 
monarch, to point to a way out of the crisis in a birthday-eve speech on 
Thursday.
In the meantime, airport authorities said Suvarnabhumi would remain shut 
for at least another two days, while a tourism ministry official put the 
number of stranded travelers at 350,000.
The blockade claimed its first foreign victim, a Hong Kong man who died 
in a traffic accident while traveling to the southern town of Phuket 
where he was hoping to catch a flight home.
Several nations stepped up emergency flights to evacuate frustrated 
holidaymakers.
Australian airline Qantas and Air France-KLM sent extra planes to 
Phuket, while Spain and France dispatched aircraft to the Vietnam 
War-era U-Tapao naval base southeast of Bangkok, the main exodus point 
since last week.
The Philippines on Monday sent its flag carrier, Philippine Airlines, to 
an airport in Chiang Mai to fetch more than 400 Filipinos who traveled 
by bus for 10 hours from the Thai capital.
Exhausted passengers flocked to makeshift check-in desks set up at 
hotels in Bangkok on Monday. "I'll be happier when I see the runway," 
said Jason Payne, 33, from Sydney, Australia.
Protesters say they will not disperse from the airports until Somchai 
steps down.
Thaksin and his allies draw huge electoral support from Thailand's 
largely rural northern poor, while the PAD is backed by the Bangkok 
business elite and middle classes, along with elements in the military 
and the palace.