Anti-government protesters stormed Bangkok's main international airport and gunfire broke out on the streets of the Thai capital today as a campaign to oust prime minister Somchai Wongsawat turned violent.
Authorities canceled all flights out of Suvarnabhumi Airport, hub for Thailand's lucrative tourist industry, stranding thousands of travelers.
"Our goal is to shut down Suvarnabhumi airport until Somchai quits," said Parnthep Pourpongpan, a spokesman for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
The PAD movement is demanding that Mr Somchai resign, accusing him of being a puppet of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, his brother-in-law.
It has occupied Government House since August and the government has been run out of Bangkok's old Don Muang airport.
Worsening bloodshed could provoke another coup only two years after the army overthrew Mr Thaksin. But army chief General Anupong Paochinda said today military intervention would not resolve the fundamental political rifts.
Mr Somchai is due to return tomorrow from an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru but would not land at Suvarnabhumi airport, a government spokesman said. Mr Thaksin, who was accused of corruption and authoritarianism while in office, is living in exile after skipping bail to avoid corruption charges.
The PAD enjoys the backing of Bangkok's urban middle classes and elite, while Mr Thaksin and the government largely claim their support from the rural voters and urban poor.
In dramatic scenes today, PAD protestors broke through lines of riot police and burst into the airport terminal as startled tourists looked on.
"There are a lot of people with sticks and baseball bats. They looked ready for a fight. We don't know what's going on," Belgian tourist Ben Creemers said.
Soon after, more than 40 outgoing flights were canceled although some inbound flights could still land.
Prolonged unrest could seriously damage Thailand's tourist industry. The airport is the main gateway for the 14.5 million visitors to Thailand each year. The airport handles 76 flights an hour and 125,000 passengers a day.
Outside the terminal, thousands of PAD supporters waved flags and portraits of King Bhumibol Adulyadej while others slung razor wire across the access road.
The airport mayhem capped a day that also saw PAD gunmen fire shots at pro-government supporters on a busy road. TPBS showed two PAD security guards shooting from handguns.
The PAD said they were attacked first with planks and stones. At least 11 people were hurt, a city official said.
The unrest was the worst violence in the campaign since October 7th, when two protesters were killed and hundreds hurt in street battles.
Reuters