Both Bangkok airports shut down by protests

Both Bangkok airports shut down by protestsBangkok - The Airports of Thailand (AOT) on Thursday closed down Bangkok's old intyernational airport, Don Mueang, cutting the capital off from air traffic after protestors closed the new airport Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Wednesday.

"Thai Airways International Public Company Limited has to temporary suspend all its inbound and outbound flights to Don Mueang International Airport from 27 November 2008, until the airport resumes normal operations," said the national carrier, responding to the closure of Don Mueang, which offered an alternative to Suvarnabhumi for THAI flights on Wednesday after Suvarnabhumi was shut down.

Followers of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), an anti-government movement hell bent on forcing Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to step down, laid siege to Suvarnabhumi Tuesday night, succeeding in forcing the facility to cancel outgoing flights.

By Wednesday, Suvarnabhumi had also cancelled incoming flights, although some were diverted to Don Mueang, which served as the capital's airport for six decades before the new airport was opened in 2006.

The PAD has also sent followers to disrupt Don Mueang.

The closures are causing Thailand's tourism industry inestimable damage.

THAI is losing an estimated 500 million baht (14.5 million dollars) a day, and the kingdom stands to lose 100 billion baht (2.9 billion dollars) this peak season if the political chaos continues.

The Thai army and police have refused to crackdown on the PAD, a loose coalition of disparate groups united in their hatred for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was overthrown by a coup on September 19, 2006.

On Wednesday, Army Commander-in-Chief General Anupong Paochinda appealed to Prime Minister Somchai to dissolve parliament and call a snap election, while demanding the PAD withdraw from Suvarnabhumi.

Both sides rejected the army appeal, leaving Thailand's political crisis with no way out in sight.

The PAD is seeking a military coup but Anupong has said a coup is no solution.

The last coup of 2006 failed to stop the followers of Thaksin, a former billionaire telecommunications tycoon turned populist politician, from returning to power in the December 23, 2007, general election.

The current government is led by the People Power party, which came to power on a pro-Thaksin platform, and headed by Somchai, Thaksin's brother-in-law. (dpa)

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