Montague S
30th August 2008, 08:26 AM
...due to civil unrest, Phuket, Krabi & Hat Yai are the 3 currently closed.
Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej says he will not resign despite escalating anti-government protests across the kingdom.
Yesterday at least 35 people were affected by tear gas as police tried to prevent an attack on the national police headquarters.
More than 25,000 people remain at Government House in central Bangkok, refusing court orders to leave.
The protest is being led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) which is demanding that Mr Samak step down.
He was voted in to office in December's election, but his government stands accused of working for the interests of former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra.
The PAD movement is now getting support from other parts of the country, with small blockades affecting airports in Phuket, Krabi and Hat Yai yesterday.
Rail workers also walked off the job, affecting about a third of rail services across the country.
The State Railways of Thailand said 248 drivers and mechanics called in sick on Friday.
The military in Thailand has told the country's prime minister to negotiate with protesters who have been occupying the government compound in Bangkok.
The army chief, General Anupong Paochinda, has dismissed rumours of an imminent coup, saying it would solve nothing.
In the latest incident, police fired tear gas at thousands of demonstrators who tried to storm into police headquarters.
Airports closed
Outside Bangkok, thousands of protesters forced the closure of three airports in the south.
Phuket International Airport was the first to shut its doors after PAD sympathisers invaded the runway.
Similar rallies soon prompted officials to close Hat Yai and Krabi airports, said Sereerat Prasutanont, president of Airports of Thailand.
The protests caused a Jetstar flight from Sydney to Phuket to be diverted to Bangkok.
The airline says the flight's 270 passengers were due to arrive in Phuket last night.
They've been put in hotels in Bangkok, and will be transferred to Phuket when the protests subside.
PAD, which despite its name is trying to bring down Mr Samak's elected government, began its campaign at the end of May, just over three months after the coalition government was formed.
PAD protests helped lead to the 2006 coup that unseated Mr Thaksin, and the entry into government of his ally Mr Samak after elections in December has infuriated the country's old power elites in the military and palace.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/30/2350742.htm?WT.mc_id=newsmail
Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej says he will not resign despite escalating anti-government protests across the kingdom.
Yesterday at least 35 people were affected by tear gas as police tried to prevent an attack on the national police headquarters.
More than 25,000 people remain at Government House in central Bangkok, refusing court orders to leave.
The protest is being led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) which is demanding that Mr Samak step down.
He was voted in to office in December's election, but his government stands accused of working for the interests of former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra.
The PAD movement is now getting support from other parts of the country, with small blockades affecting airports in Phuket, Krabi and Hat Yai yesterday.
Rail workers also walked off the job, affecting about a third of rail services across the country.
The State Railways of Thailand said 248 drivers and mechanics called in sick on Friday.
The military in Thailand has told the country's prime minister to negotiate with protesters who have been occupying the government compound in Bangkok.
The army chief, General Anupong Paochinda, has dismissed rumours of an imminent coup, saying it would solve nothing.
In the latest incident, police fired tear gas at thousands of demonstrators who tried to storm into police headquarters.
Airports closed
Outside Bangkok, thousands of protesters forced the closure of three airports in the south.
Phuket International Airport was the first to shut its doors after PAD sympathisers invaded the runway.
Similar rallies soon prompted officials to close Hat Yai and Krabi airports, said Sereerat Prasutanont, president of Airports of Thailand.
The protests caused a Jetstar flight from Sydney to Phuket to be diverted to Bangkok.
The airline says the flight's 270 passengers were due to arrive in Phuket last night.
They've been put in hotels in Bangkok, and will be transferred to Phuket when the protests subside.
PAD, which despite its name is trying to bring down Mr Samak's elected government, began its campaign at the end of May, just over three months after the coalition government was formed.
PAD protests helped lead to the 2006 coup that unseated Mr Thaksin, and the entry into government of his ally Mr Samak after elections in December has infuriated the country's old power elites in the military and palace.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/30/2350742.htm?WT.mc_id=newsmail