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Thai protesters leave PM's office for airports

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Agence France-Presse | 12/01/2008 6:14 PM

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BANGKOK - Thai anti-government protesters Monday began leaving the prime minister's offices in Bangkok after a three-month sit-in, moving to reinforce their paralyzing grip on the capital's airports.

Leaders of an alliance trying to force premier Somchai Wongsawat to resign said they were shifting because of recent grenade attacks which have killed two protesters and wounded dozens more at Government House.

But in an apparent climbdown in the stand-off, which has left thousands of tourists stranded, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) allowed 37 empty aircraft to fly out of Suvarnabhumi international airport.

"It's too risky to stay at Government House because of repeated attacks against us," PAD spokeswoman Anchalee Paireerak said. "All of us have started to move now. We expect to complete the movement this evening."

An AFP reporter saw hundreds of supporters carrying plastic bags and sleeping mats leaving the heavily fortified compound, which was hit by a blast on Sunday that wounded 49 people.

"I will miss it. I would like to stay here," said Wan Ounkonc, 63, as she washed dishes before heading off to the domestic Don Mueang airport.

The PAD seized the cabinet offices in August as part of a campaign they launched in May to topple an elected government they accuse of running the country on behalf of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin, who is Somchai's brother-in-law, was ousted in a 2006 coup.

They took that campaign to unexpected heights last week, storming Suvarnabhumi on Tuesday and then occupying Don Mueang the next day as part of a "final battle" against the administration.

The abandonment of the premier's offices could ease the risk of clashes with protesters from a rival pro-government group who camped out in Bangkok for a second day just a few kilometres (miles) from Government House.

The PAD are known as the "Yellow Shirts" due to the color of their attire which symbolizes devotion to Thailand's King -- while the government's supporters are dubbed the "Red Shirts" because of their scarlet outfits.

But fresh tensions were brewing after the Red Shirts said they were considering blockading the Constitutional Court, which is due Tuesday to wrap up a vote fraud case that could disband the ruling party and bar Somchai from politics.

Police said they had asked the military to protect the court.

Meanwhile Somchai is due to attend a ceremony in Bangkok Tuesday ahead of the birthday of the deeply revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej -- but the premier is currently marooned in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

Thais may also be waiting for the king, the world's longest reigning monarch, to point to a way out of the crisis in a birthday-eve speech on Thursday.

With Bangkok's airports still blocked, several nations have stepped up emergency flights to evacuate the estimated 100,000 travelers stuck in Thailand for the last week.

Australian airline Qantas and Air France-KLM sent extra planes to southern Phuket to bring home hundreds of travelers.

France and Spain have sent planes to the Vietnam War-era U-Tapao naval base about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of Bangkok, which has been the main exodus point since last week.

Passengers began flocking to makeshift check-in desks set up at hotels in the Thai capital on Monday, although they were still apprehensive. "I'll be happier when I see the runway," said Jason Payne, 33, from Sydney, Australia.

Protesters say they will not disperse from the airports until Somchai steps down.

Thaksin and his allies draw huge electoral support from Thailand's largely rural northern poor, while the PAD is backed by the Bangkok business elite and middle classes, along with elements in the military and the palace.