Governments warn citizens against visits to Thailand

ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT, AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK AND CHATRUDEE THEPARAT

Many countries have issued travel advisories to their citizens who are planning to visit Thailand following the storming of Suvarnabhumi airport.

Among them, China has advised its citizens to review travel plans to Thailand.

Singaporeans have been urged to postpone non-essential travel here.

The Australian embassy has highlighted caution in its advisory and advised its citizens to avoid protest areas..

The US embassy has also warned Americans to stay away from Suvarnabhumi airport.

The Presidency of the Council of the European Union has expressed serious concerns about the deteriorating political situation in Thailand, in particular with the siege of Suvarnabhumi airport, where air traffic has ground to a halt and thousands of passengers have been stranded or rerouted.

It reiterates that any anti-constitutional attempt to interfere in the democratic process would harm EU-Thailand relations.

The closure of Suvarnabhumi by the People's Alliance for Democracy since Tuesday has cost Thai Airways International (THAI) and Airports of Thailand (AoT) Co more than 500 million baht a day, with over 400 flights cancelled.

THAI operates 140 flights on average and serves over 30,000 passengers daily through the airport.

Its cargo service normally generates about 63 million baht a day for the airline.

The carrier is working to find accommodation for stranded passengers and provide them with meals and alternative transportation.

Since the airport's closure on Tuesday night, THAI has catered some 6,000 meals and paid for rooms at nearby hotels. The costs have yet to be calculated, said THAI vice president Parndit Chanaphai.

Transport Minister Santi Promphat has ordered the AoT to sue the PAD for the damage.

The Civil Court yesterday called an emergency session to look into a complaint filed by the AoT against 13 PAD leaders for directing the siege. The AoT accused Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang and 12 other PAD leaders of spearheading the move.

The AoT asked the court to order the PAD to leave Suvarnabhumi at once.

The court agreed to begin an emergency inquiry at 5.30pm yesterday.

Passengers were also stranded at other regional airports as no aircraft arrived from Bangkok to pick them up, except a special THAI flight from Suvarnabhumi which arrived at Hat Yai airport to collect Haj pilgrims heading for Saudi Arabia.

About 5,000 passengers are stuck at Phuket airport and about 800 at Samui.

According to Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Co, some arriving international flights were rerouted to Don Mueang and U-tapao airports as well as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

PAD demonstrators also ensured no air traffic controllers remained at work.

The government approved an urgent budget of 10 million baht to help stranded travellers..

Immigration police have been asked to exempt fines for those whose visas have expired while stranded.

From bangkokpost.com

PAD, Somchai say no to Anupong's compromise

Stranded passengers take a rest near airline check-in counters at Suvarnabhumi airport. Alldepartures were cancelled yesterday and most airlines redirected arriving flights. SAROT MEKSOPHAWANNAKUL

Protesters settle in at airport, PM won't quit

POST REPORTERS

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and the People's Alliance for Democracy yesterday rejected a call by army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda for compromise with a new election and an end to anti-government protests in the wake of Suvarnabhumi airport's shutdown.

The airport was closed from Tuesday for security reasons after PAD demonstrators stormed its passenger terminal.

Core PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul said the anti-government group would stay there for a few days to bring down the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.

But the Civil Court last night ordered them to leave after a request by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT), which controls all international airports in the country.

Plans to end the PAD rally at the airport will be high on the agenda at a cabinet meeting to be held in Chiang Mai today.

Hours before Mr Somchai returned from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru to Chiang Mai, Gen Anupong advised that he dissolve the House and urged the PAD to vacate Suvarnabhumi.

The call was made at a meeting of a panel monitoring the political situation with high-level government officials, academics and security officials chaired by the army leader.

But the prime minister last night rejected it, saying he would neither order a dissolution of the House nor resign from his post.

"This government has legitimacy. It came through the election process by voters across the country," he said in an address to the nation and stressed the need for him to stay in power to protect democracy and maintain the rule of law.

He demanded the PAD leave Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports, along with Government House as the seizures were damaging the country.

A government source said Mr Somchai had consulted other coalition parties immediately after arriving in Chiang Mai and all of them agreed with the prime minister's stance.

PAD core member Pibhop Dhongchai said the PAD remained firm in its stand that Mr Somchai must step down unconditionally. According to the PAD, negotiations would be made possible only by Mr Somchai's departure.

Upset by the army chief's proposal, members of the People Power party (PPP) threatened to petition Mr Somchai, also the defence minister, to sack Gen Anupong from his post.

Acting PPP spokesman Kudep Saikrachang lashed out at the army chief's proposal, saying it was "silly, naive, irrational and improper."

He said that Gen Anupong should have taken action against the PAD demonstrators who had clearly violated the law by storming the airport.

But the prime minister refused to take action against the army chief, despite speculation that he was not satisfied with Gen Anupong due to his failure to keep control of the country.

An army source said Mr Somchai and Gen Anupong would talk by phone today to patch up their differences.

In a press conference, Gen Anupong said those attending the meeting agreed that both the coalition government and the PAD shared a prominent role in getting the political unrest resolved.

"We are not pressuring the government, but suggesting a solution. The people should get a chance to decide the future in fresh elections," he said.

He stressed that he was not staging a coup as he believed it would not end the political unrest.

He also shrugged off speculation that the suggestion could cost him his job.

"The government still has full power. If I was afraid of being sacked, I would not have made this suggestion. I would have staged a coup and I would have the full authority. I chose not to because it will not solve the problem," he said.

A source close to the meeting said certain representatives from the private sector suggested use of "necessary" force to take back Suvarnabhumi airport.

Their proposal was opposed by Gen Anupong who also disagreed with Mr Somchai's resignation out of fear that he would be seen to be taking sides with the PAD.

After meeting for two hours, the army chief concluded that a House dissolution was the best option, said the source. Other military leaders held back from expressing their opinions.

Going all the way

By physically shutting down Suvarnabhumi airport, the People's Alliance for Democracy has upped the stakes in Thailand's ongoing political polarisation. It has demonstrated the extent to which it will resort to mob violence to achieve its aims. ANALYSIS By Thitinan Pongsudhirak

The PAD is bent on creating the conditions of ungovernability and then to demand the ouster of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat on grounds that Thailand is ungovernable.

Its tactics have warped into a blatant street campaign of intimidation and fear, of coercion and force.

That the PAD has come this far in its thuggish ways is attributable to its powerful backing, without which its relative impunity in the face of flagrant violations of the law can hardly be explained.

The PAD's latest antic at Suvarnabhumi airport will likely narrow its support base, especially in Bangkok as the capital reels from the longer-term impact of the airport closure to business confidence, but its remaining columns will still be deep in their resolve to get their way.

What the PAD wants has not changed. After an unsuccessful bid under the guise of the so-called "new politics," it first demanded the ouster of former prime minister Samak Sundaravej earlier this year, and it is now after Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.

To reach its endgame, the PAD has to clear the slate of government, led by the People Power party. As a result, the PAD has bayed for blood, openly inviting a military coup in order to bring up an interim arrangement.

This would allow the PAD to either rewrite the current constitution or come up with an entirely new charter. Its ultimate objective is to fashion the rules of the democratic game to guarantee elite representation in the elected parliament through partial appointments.

Its logic is simple. A one-man, one-vote democratic system will indefinitely return the same parliamentary faces with a similar populist policy agenda that has appealed to the vast majority of the electorate in the Northeast and North, who voted for deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his disbanded Thai Rak Thai party for six years and for Mr Samak and Mr Somchai and PPP more recently.

Unsurprisingly, the PAD has openly shown disdain for these rural constituencies as faceless and gullible vote-sellers who should not be counted on equal terms with the PAD's urban minority in Thailand's electorate.

But the PAD faces a daunting uphill task in resetting the political environment and realising its anti-democratic agenda.

Somehow it would have to dislodge the PPP and perhaps its successor Puea Thai party from elected power, and to keep them out.

The PAD would then have to force an interim period during which its cadres would assert themselves in charter alterations. In an age when democratic rule is an emerging norm of the international community, when information is more widely accessible due to new technologies, any anti-democratic movement will be hard-pressed to get away with elite dominance.

Yet the PAD has shown that it is willing to go all the way.

It is willing to hold Thailand captive by disrupting airport operations, and to even cause an international embarrassment as Thailand gears up for its chairmanship of the Asean and East Asia summits in Chiang Mai next month.

Only its backers can pull the plug on the PAD but they may now be too insecure and paranoid to go back.

The longer this crisis goes on, the more exposed and compromised the PAD's backers have become.

And the PAD is continually dragging them down to the cut-and-thrust of Thai politics to their own detriment.

While the stakes are high, with wide and deep longer-term damages, it is not too late for the PAD's backers to rein in this rabid and reckless movement or to pull its plug altogether.

The ultimate danger for the PAD on the one hand and for Thailand on the other is not from the government, army or police - but from the red shirts banded under the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship.

Capable of a corresponding sort of mob violence, these UDD red shirts have decidedly displayed patience, order and restraint in their recent mass rallies, in deliberate contrast to the PAD's open incitement of violence and gross distortions of information. Widespread civil strife would be the outcome in the event the UDD turns on the PAD in full force.

A House dissolution, as proposed by army chief General Anupong Paojinda, is a release valve from such a UDD-PAD clash.

Although it would not resolve Thailand's urban-rural structural crisis in the long term, a new slate through new elections would buy time for the various protagonists to come to their senses and for Thai voters to have a say after a year of turmoil and volatility.

It is an option which Prime Minister Somchai should not dismiss out of hand for self-righteous reasons, especially if he is confident of his party's - and successor party's - winning policy platform.

The same goes for the People's Alliance for Democracy - if it still claims to stand for the Thai people.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak is Director of the Institute of Security and International Studies, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University.

From bangkokpost.com

Second airport closed

Anti-government protesters have blockaded and shut down Don Mueang airport, closing off all international air links to and from Bangkok.

Supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) started massing at the old Don Mueang airport late Wednesday, aiming to prevent ministers from flying to Chiang Mai in the north to meet Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.

Services at the airport were cancelled at about midnight.

"I authorised Don Mueang's director-general to close the airport from midnight. It is closed indefinitely until normalcy is restored," Saererat Prasutanond, president of operator Airports of Thailand, told Thai television.

"The two airports that serve Bangkok are completely closed."

Don Mueang director Flying Officer Anirut Thanomkulbutra had earlier told AFP that the airport would reopen on Thursday evening.

"Protesters have blocked the entrance to the terminal," Anirut said.

Thai anti-government protesters wave national flags at the departure terminal of Bangkok's international airport.

Don Mueang operates a handful of domestic flights, and was the only airport left serving the capital after protesters swarmed the main Suvarnabhumi Airport late Tuesday, forcing the airport director to suspend flights.

A police official said about 3,000 PAD supporters were gathered outside Don Mueang airport, but no passengers were inside when the airport was surrounded as the last flight had landed hours before.

Protest leaders earlier said that they aimed to force the closure of Don Mueang to prevent ministers from flying to the northern city of Chiang Mai to meet with Mr Somchai.

The prime minister returned from a summit in Peru, landing in Chiang Mai on Wednesday evening, soon after the powerful army chief urged the premier to call new elections to end six months of turmoil in the kingdom.

Mr Somchai refused, and called a cabinet meeting.

The premier had been holding cabinet meetings in a disused terminal at Don Mueang after protesters occupied his official Government House office in central Bangkok in late August.

But on Monday, PAD supporters besieged his temporary office as well, as they upped their bid to topple the government, which they accuse of running the country on behalf of oustedrom B and exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

About 3,000 tourists were stranded at Suvarnabhumi as PAD supporters massed outside late Tuesday, but most were evacuated leaving Wednesday afternoon.

Protesters swiftly dug in inside the gleaming steel-and-glass terminal, setting up makeshift food stalls and tents in the airport. (AFP)

From Bangkokpost.com

STATE OF EMERGENCY

(BangkokPost.com)

The government has declared a state of emergency around the two occupied Bangkok airports and police have been ordered to clear out PAD protesters so flights can resume.
LATE NEWS: Authorities have officially declared Suvarnabhumi airport closed until Saturday at 6pm at the earliest.

Agriculture Minister Somsak Prisananantakul told reporters the special Cabinet meeting held in Chiang Mai declared emergency laws will apply in and around both the closed Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.

Meanwhile, growing numbers of tourists, business executives and government officials are stranded by the severed transportation links between Thailand and the rest of the world. Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat was reported stranded in Germany where he was on a private visit on Thursday.

Some flights have continued through provincial airports but the main bulk of the 75 flights per hour through Suvarnabhumi have been cancelled.

The emergency decree orders the police to restore order and gives the military the right to help to "restore order, allow the suspension of civil liberties, ban public gatherings of more than five people and bar the media from reporting news that causes panic."

The military thus can clear out and reopen both airports, which were attacked, occupied and closed by the People's Alliance for Democracy on Tuesday night and Wednesday respectively.

Caution

It should be remembered we have been here before, and a state of emergency has no guarantee of results.

Ex-premier Samak Sundaravej declared a state of emergency last Sept 2 after early morning clashes between pro-government protesters and PAD backers in Bangkok. Police and the army refused to act, and Mr Somchai eventually lifted the state of emergency when he took office.

"This time it will be different because the police will be the ones responsible," said government spokesman Nattawuth Saikuea.

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat presided over Thursday's special cabinet meeting in his home town, Chiang Mai. PAD protesters have also seized and occupied both Government House and a backup government headquarters at Don Mueang in Bangkok.

If there is bloodshed when the police try to clear out the airports, the military might have to step in. That could mean a de facto coup, even though the Royal Thai Army does not want to take power.

"The government is in a corner," said Panitan Wattanayagorn, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University. "If the police cannot do a clean job (of clearin the airports), I’m quite certain they will step in."

Army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda has refused to use his forces against protesters, but also has only "suggested" the government step down. Both Mr Somchai and PAD leaders have effectively ignored the increasinly ineffective army commander.

If the army is forced to take over, Gen Anupong will start from a position of weakness, with respect from neither of the two sides in the conflict and seen as weak and vacillating by the majority who have favoured neither the government nor the PAD.

The emergency decree was reportedly backed in advance by some 200 members of the coalition government, who urged the embattled premier to "exercise stringent legal measures" against the protesters at the airports and at Government House.

Ekapot Parnyaem, a Chart Thai MP representing Pathum Thani province, urged that the government "carry out the order within 24 hours".

He also called on MPs to "mobilise not less than 20,000 people to oppose a power seizure," a sign that there will be public disturbances in case of a military coup.

Ironically, Gen Anupong agreed. He said tht a military coup would not end political turmoil, but might increase it.

Prime Minister Somchai on Thursday denied rumours that some military commanders would be stripped of their posts and that a coup is in the making.

Military personnel should remain in their barracks and officers should not move or put their forces on alert, said government spokesman Natthawut Saikua, who said the public should not be worried or confused by coup rumours. (with reports by TNA and news agencies)

PAD shuts Suvarnabhumi

PAD protesters jam the entry to the passenger terminal at Suvarnabhumi last night before storming inside, forcing the closure of the airport to outgoing flights. Airlines were making their own decisions on flight arrivals. PAWAT LAOPAISARNTAKSIN

Thousands stranded as outbound flights cancelled

POST REPORTERS

Suvarnabhumi airport and the travel plans of thousands of tourists were in turmoil last night after PAD supporters stormed the terminal, forcing authorities to shut down most operations.

Outbound flights were suspended from 9pm and the terminal building was closed when People's Alliance for Democracy breached a thin line of police officers, Suvarnabhumi director Serirat Prasutanond said.

Inbound flights were still being allowed to land at the airport last night. Officials said it was up to the airlines whether they would continue to allow flights to land today.

The decision left thousands of passengers stranded inside the terminal. Night time is one of the peak periods for the airport as most flights to European cities take off after dark.

Airports of Thailand (AoT) officials tried in vain to persuade the PAD protesters not to enter the terminal.

A decision to reopen the airport would be decided later after officials assessed the situation, he said.

As reports of PAD supporters heading to Suvarnabhumi reached Samut Prakan governor Kwanchai Wongnitikorn, he contacted army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda to send troops to help police prevent them from storming into the airport's main areas.

The governor told Mr Serirat he had sought help from the army chief. But there was no response from the army, leaving an inadequate police cordon unable to cope with the mass of anti-government protesters.

The PAD demonstrators broke through police lines shortly after 8pm and walked among the passengers with some shouting "Fight! Fight!", frightening many foreign visitors.

Earlier, the PAD had issued a statement that it would shut Suvarnabhumi airport to force Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and his coalition government to step down.

The PAD said the shutdown was a "must-do" measure to stop the "puppet government" from functioning.

"The PAD needs to elevate its protest and civil disobedience by shutting down Suvarnabhumi airport. We are issuing an ultimatum through the Thai public and the world community to Somchai Wongsawat and his government. They must step down immediately and without conditions," the statement said.

As thousands of protesters blocked off the airport, passengers were forced to drag their luggage along the lengthy access roads to the terminal, only to find their outbound flights cancelled.

About 400 crowd-control police from Samut Prakan and airport security guards were mobilised to stand guard.

Speaking from Peru, the prime minister said his chartered flight would not land at Suvarnabhumi today but refused to disclose his destination. "I will get off the plane wherever it lands," he said.

Mr Somchai's flight from Peru, due to leave at noon from Lima, was delayed for several hours because of technical problems.

He said he would not cave in to PAD pressure, saying only the people could dictate to him.

He said under the constitution, anyone who attempted to topple the government would be considered insurrectionists.

Mr Somchai lashed out at the PAD's siege of the government's temporary office at Don Mueang airport, saying the group was being irrational and damaging the country.

He said he would call an emergency meeting of security agencies after his return from Peru.

The premier doubted the PAD would allow a new parliamentary session to approve all agreements for Thailand to sign with other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) at the Chiang Mai summit next month.

Earlier in the day, the PAD demonstrators briefly rallied outside the Supreme Command headquarters on Chaeng Wattana road following a report that the cabinet would meet there.

The joint parliamentary sitting has been rescheduled for Dec 8-9.

Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Pol Lt-Gen Suchart Muenkaew said more checkpoints would be set up in and around Bangkok as more PAD supporters were coming to the capital.

Blow to tourism

By Post Reporters

The tourism sector, already reeling from the global economic downturn, suffered a fresh blow as People's Alliance for Democracy anti-government protesters forced Suvarnabhumi airport to suspend outbound flights.
LATEST: As of Wednesday morning, Suvarnabhumi airport is effectively closed to all passengers. Thai Airways International already has cancelled 24 flights due to leave on Wednesday.

Thousands of travellers faced the prospect of missed flights Tuesday night as protesters blocked the main motorway from the capital to the airport and later stormed the terminal to disrupt operations.

Olarn Chaipravat, the deputy prime minister overseeing economic policy, acknowledged that the PAD protests would undermine the country's image abroad and hurt investor confidence.

"They [PAD] have the right to protest, but they must consider the rights of others. And they should also consider the damage caused to the entire country," he said.

Airline and tourism executives warned that the political tensions would deal another heavy blow to the ailing industry and the country's international image.

PAD rallies in late-August that forced the shutdowns of Krabi, Phuket and Hat Yai airports had already put the country's "Land of Smiles" image in jeopardy.

Arrivals in September plummeted 16.5 per cent from last year, with hotel occupancy rates nosediving to just 46.3 per cent compared with 57.5 per cent in August.

The latest tensions could force many operators into bankruptcy, coming just weeks before the peak of the tourist season over the year-end holidays.

Apichart Sankary, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), said the PAD protest Tuesday would have a massive impact on the industry.

"Don't think that the Thai tourism business will grow next year. It's dying now because of the political problems. In the best case, we might just see flat growth," Mr Apichart said.

Another tourism expert said the attempts by the PAD to close Suvarnabhumi airport reflected the "lawless society" in Thailand.

"Do you know when the country's image is destroyed, it's very difficult to revive it in a short period? What does Thai hospitality look like now, when there are clashes and violence inside the country?" he said.

Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kohsurat said authorities were coordinating with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to update overseas tourism offices about the latest developments.

The ministry was also working with the Thai Travel Agents Association and airport operator Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) to assist tourists and advise on alternative travel routes to Suvarnabhumi airport.

Business leaders said multinational companies would likely impose travel restrictions to minimise risk.

Neighbourly warning

(BangkokPost.com)

Neighbouring countries are warning their citizens to stay away from Thailand, just as the main tourist season was starting.

The Philippine government on Wednesday urged its citizens to defer non-essential travel to Thailand because of anti-government demonstrations.

Foreign department spokesman Claro Cristobal said the warning was "in consideration of the Filipino travelers' safety and convenience."

Taiwan, a major source of winter travellers to Thailand, advised Taiwanese who are in Thailand or those who plan to travel there to check with airlines before going to the airport.

At least two Taiwan airlines' flights which were due to return to Taipei Tuesday evening were cancelled.

Singapore said citizens should postpone any travel to Thailand unless they had "a pressing need to travel".

The British had a similar warning on the Foreign Office website: "If you plan to visit Thailand you should consider the present situation when making your decision."

The US did not advise against travel to Thailand but warned: "We wish to remind American citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence."

"The Chinese Embassy advises that Chinese citizens planning to visit Thailand should postpone their plans," said a travel advisory posted at the Chinese Embassy.

Japan echoed:

"The damage done is huge," said Chaisak Angsawan, director general of the Department of Aviation.

Suvarnabhumi handles around 370 flights a day, all of which have been cancelled or diverted to other airports.

The only flight out by late afternoon on Wednesday was Flight 809 of Iran Airlines. Demonstrators allowed it to leave as it was taking 416 Thai Muslims to Teheran before flying to Saudi Arabia for the haj.

"It's not fair," said Vanessa Sloan, 31, from Florida, who arrived at the airport on Tuesday night and was supposed to fly on to Chiang Mai on Wednesday.

"We spent the night here after all the check-in staff ran away," she said. "No one is here to help."

Airport director Serirat Prasutanond estimated losses in airport operations at 50 million baht per day in landing fees and the like.

Thai Airways International cancelled all outbound flights. Sixteen international flights in the air were diverted to Don Mueang international airport while three others from the Middle East and Europe landed at Utapao naval base in Chon Buri.

Singapore Airlines cancelled all its Bangkok flights. It said an assessment will be made later about flight operations beyond Wednesday.

According to foreign reports, flights bound for Bangkok from Japan were mostly cancelled or returned to Japan.

"I have been informed by Thai Airways that 3,000 passengers are stranded at the terminal now," airport director Saereerat Prasutanont said.

Police said 8,000 demonstrators, most wearing yellow clothes in a traditional symbol of loyalty to the revered monarchy, had camped out at the three-billion-dollar airport overnight.

Thanit Sorat, vice chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) and chairman of logistic group under the FTI, said that sealing off Suvarnabhumi airport had stopped all air cargo operations. He estimated the losses to the business sector at one billion baht per day.

Army helpless

(BangkokPost.com)

The government on Wednesday rejected a "suggestion" by army chief Anupong Paojinda for the prime minister to resign, and the protesters who seized and closed Suvarnabhumi airport on Wednesday similarly declined the general's demand to leave the airport.

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, meanwhile, returned to Thailand without incident through Chiang Mai airport. He spend the past week out of the country to attend the Apec summit in Peru, and the PAD was trying to block his return.

"The prime minister should dissolve parliament and call a snap election," Gen Anupong said. "The prime minister should think about the benefit of the country, and so should the PAD," he said.

But he tempered the demand, just as he did a month ago when he also told Prime Minister Somchai Wongbsawat to step down.

"We will not seize power from the government," said the army commander. "We are just making a suggestion and will let the government decide.

In that case, said spokesman Nattawut Saikuar, the government will stay on.

He spoke by telephone to Channel 3 news and said, "The prime minister has said many times that he will not quit or dissolve parliament because he has been democratically elected. That still stands,"

Hours after returning from Peru to Chiang Mai, Mr Somchai, in a 10pm live broadcast to the nation, said what he said when Gen Anupong last demanded his resignation, following the Oct 7 violence around the parliament buildings:

"This government is elected by the people and will perform its duty for the nation and the citizens all the way."

He said the PAD must leave Suvarnabhumi and Government House, which the demonstrators have occupied since Aug 26. He called a cabinet meeting on Thursday in Chiang Mai.

The Bangkok Civil Court ordered the demonstrators to leave the airport on the grounds they have infringed on peoples' rights.

The court granted an injuction sought by the Airports of Thailand. Similar court orders for the PAD to vacate areas in Bangkok.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) gave an equally dismissive shrug to Gen Anupong's demand that they call back their protesters and reopen Suvarnabhumi.

Mr Somchai must resign, PAD leader told cheering supporters inside the airport terminal.

The government "must quit first before we sit down and talk," he said.

PAD ideologue Suriyasai Katasila said flatly that the group would stay at the airport until it could discuss the matter among members, and rejected the general's demand.

Gen Anupong's strong stance against a coup gave him no leverage in trying to handle the situation, and he has time after time been reduced to little more than another helpless spectator.

Late last month, he attempted to intimidate Mr Somchai into quitting by appearing with other service commanders, the supreme commander and the national police chief on an evening TV news programme, but Mr Somchai simply ignored the demands to quit.

'I'll be back'

Fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra threw down the gauntlet on Monday: He will return to politics and become prime minister again.

He told the Arabian Business magazine in Abu Dhabi:

“The country is going down deeply. The confidence is not there. The trust amongst foreign community is not there. The poor people in rural areas are in difficulty.

“With me at the helm I can bring confidence quickly back to Thailand. We have to find a mechanism under which I can go back, that is why I must tell you that I will go back into politics.”

Thaksin also criticised the British government for lifting his visa, effectively making him a wanted criminal on the run.

"England must understand better, but unfortunately they are now busy with their own problems," he alleged. "So they forgot about democratic values."

The UK cancelled the visas of Thaksin and his wife Khunying Potjaman earlier this month after he was convicted of corruption, and continued to speak out on Thai politics from his British haven. The couple has since divorced.

The magazine's web site said that the full text of its exclusive interview with Thaksin would be published on Sunday,

Thaksin gave no hint in the published portion of the interview when he might attempt to return to Thailand.

But he is clear that he has officially decided to get back into the political ring.

"A lot depends on the power of the people," he said.

"If they feel they are in hardship and they need me to help them, I will go back," he said.

"If the king feels I can be beneficial I will go back and he may grant me a royal pardon. If they don’t need me and the king feels I can make no difference then I will stay here and do business."

Parliament paralysed

(BangkokPost.com)

Protests on Monday forced parliament to cancel its planned joint session, and left anarchy on the streets from Government House all the way to the old Don Mueang airport.

The People's Alliance for Democracy declared victory, but failed to gain its objective. Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat resolved to stay in office, and the military showed no sign it intended to seize power.

More than 5,000 protesters led by PAD leaders Sondhi Limthongkul, Piphob Thongchi and Somkiat Pongpaiboon were still gathered in front of the parliament building on Monday evening. Traffic lanes were closed around the venue, as more protesters were expected to join the mass rally.

The protesters also cut off electricity to the parliament building and the Chart Thai party headquarters.

"May victory be with the people," PAD leader Somkiat Pongpaiboon chanted.

But from the Apec summit in Peru, Mr Somchai said he no intention of resigning, because the government emerged from democratic elections.

If the government has to be forced out, it should be done by the parliamentary election or the general public in a ballot, he said.

He said the global economic crisis was more important than the protests.

"The situation in Thailand at the moment is small - only a single location in Bangkok, and it has not significantly destroyed the country's economic foundation," claimed the prime minister.

"We have to talk and try for reconciliation," he told a reporter from the Reuters news agency.

An estimated 18,000 flag-waving demonstrators split up throughout the capital. They hijacked buses, fanned out in running protests through the central part of the city, and even wound up outside the new government offices at Don Mueang.

House speaker Chai Chidchob called for calm and announced the postponement of a joint parliamentary session which was supposed to consider legislation needed for the Asean summit to be held in Chiang Mai beginning in December.

"I ask for all sides to stop the movement now. If you love the king, please return home," he said on parliament radio.

He was forced to call off the scheduled parliament sitting because elected MPs and senators could not enter the building. Police did not confront the protesters as they did last Oct 7, when a tear-gas assault killed one person.

The yellow-clad PAD protesters marched through the Ratanakosin district, waving Thai flags and holding aloft portraits of His Majesty the King.

Monks joined the protest, which supposedly was aimed at toppling the government. Black-clad volunteer PAD security guards wielding homemade batons protected the crowd.