Protesters force Bangkok airport to shut down

Thai political stalemate heads to crisis

Antigovernment protesters sat at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok yesterday. (Sakchai Lalit/Associated Press)

BANGKOK - Thousands of anti-government protesters besieged Thailand's main international airport yesterday, startling tourists, halting flights, and escalating months of simmering political tensions into a full-blown national crisis.

The airport raid, carried out by men wielding metal rods who pushed past riot police officers, was the climax of three years of intermittent protests that have tarnished Thailand's longstanding image as a freewheeling but stable nation.

A series of extreme measures by protesters, including a violent clash with government supporters yesterday in Bangkok that left 11 people injured, has brought the government near collapse and left Thailand's democracy teetering.

The government has struggled to carry on its business while trying to quell the most recent demonstrations, but has found itself consumed by the stalemate. A sit-in at government offices forced Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to conduct business elsewhere.

This week, protesters began what they called a final push against the country's leaders. They prevented one parliamentary session and have said they plan to prevent any future sessions or Cabinet meetings, effectively paralyzing the government.

The protesters - a loose coalition of royalists, academics and members of the urban elite - say they are frustrated with years of corruption. Many are also skeptical of Thai democracy in its current form and propose a voting system that would lessen the representation of lower-income Thais, whom they say are particularly susceptible to vote-buying.

The latest protests come amid anxiety over the health of the ailing 80-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej and worries about royal succession. There is also frustration about an underperforming national economy that has not been able to move beyond low-cost manufacturing.

The recent protests, like most of those over the past three years, have centered on Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister, who was removed from power two years ago in a military coup. Protesters accuse the current government, and the one before it, of being Thaksin's proxies.

Thaksin was recently convicted in absentia of abuse of power and remains in exile. The current prime minister is Thaksin's brother-in-law.

At the cavernous Suvarnabhumi airport early today, protesters said they would remain in the facility until the government stepped down.

During the face-off with riot police officers yesterday, one protester said she was willing to die if necessary. "If they shoot, let them shoot," said Pranee Rattanatakerngporn. "I will stay here until we win."

Officials decided to close the airport about 9 p.m. yesterday "for the safety of all passengers."

"I'm very worried about the situation now," said Sereerat Prasutanon, director of the airport. "I think it's time that the army comes out and helps to take care of the situation."

By shutting down the airport, protesters are ultimately holding the country hostage, analysts say.

"The gateway to the country is now blocked," said Panitan Wattanayagorn, a professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

Suvarnabhumi is the world's 18th-largest airport in terms of passenger traffic. It is the main conduit for tourists and businesspeople arriving in Thailand and is a major transit hub for Southeast Asia.

Among the passengers stranded at the airport was Anna Plahn, a 34-year-old from Sweden wrapping up a vacation with her two young children. "My two kids are sick and they want to go home," she said. "This is the worst thing that has ever happened to us."

Yesterday, thousands of protesters were camped out on the main entrance ramp to the airport, blocking traffic to the departure terminal. They spread razor wire on the road to limit traffic, which was allowed to trickle through. A truck parked in front of the terminal served as a makeshift stage where a well-known actor, Saranyu Wongkrachang, led the crowd of protesters in song throughout the night.