Thai Protesters Ignore Police Order to Quit Airport

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.

Ed Wray / AP

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.

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.

The airport's general manager said it could take a week to restart the airport after an end to the protest because security and computer systems had been compromised during the blockade.

"Normally, checking the IT systems takes one week," Serirat Prasutanond told Reuters, adding that the delay would be even longer if any of the airport's massive computer systems needed repair.

"We have to check, recheck, check, recheck," he said.

"Busy Season"

"We're coming up to the busy season for the tourism, but even if the airport is up and running any time soon, it's hard to imagine that you're going to see significant inflows of tourists," Nick Bibby of Barclays Capital in Singapore said.

Once Airports of Thailand has done all its checks, the Department of Civil Aviation and the airlines themselves have to do their own system verification before normal operations can resume, Serirat said.

It is not known how long those third-party checks will take.

The tourist misery is being compounded by the PAD's parallel occupation of Bangkok's Don Muang airport, which served as the capital's main air hub until Suvarnabhumi's opening in September 2006 and is still important as a domestic hub.

Serirat did not say how long it would take to reopen Don Muang.

Some international flights are now departing via U-Tapao, a Vietnam War-era military airfield 150 km (90 miles) southeast of Bangkok.

With just one baggage scanner and a flight schedule hand-written on a white chalk board, it is a poor substitute for Suvarnabhumi, and its tiny check-in hall, built for 14 flights a day, is bursting at the seams.

The other options for travellers trying to get out of the country are via Chiang Mai, about 700 km (430 miles) to the north of Bangkok, or Phuket, 900 km (560 miles) to the south, or driving overland to Cambodia to get flights out of Siem Reap or Phnom Penh.

As a result of the chaos, 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 looking increasingly out of reach.

More for the Investor:

• All the Latest Asian Market News
• Get Real-Time, After-Market Dow 30 Stock Quotes
• US Pre-Markets/Futures Data

Police have ordered thousands of protesters to end the occupation 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 now 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 overnight 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.

Uncharacteristic Speed
     
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.

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.

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 aregional 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.

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.