Protesters Shut Down Bangkok Int’l Airport

Anti-government protesters yesterday seized the control tower at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, forcing a number of flight cancellations, foreign media said.

Led by the People`s Alliance for Democracy, protestors occupied a highway that leads to the airport’s passenger terminal and the city Tuesday. Yesterday 16 flights scheduled to land at the airport had to be diverted to Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport and other provincial airports as protestors stormed the control tower.

Some 3,000 tourists who waited for service were stuck at Suvarnabhumi airport, with some sleeping curled up on chairs.

On Tuesday morning, unidentified masked assailants threw grenades at anti-government protestors, injuring four. Protestors, however, did not back down.

Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was scheduled to arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday afternoon after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru. He will reportedly arrive in the country through Chiang Mai Airport in northern Bangkok.

All flights leaving Korea for Bangkok were canceled. In addition, 1,018 passengers of Korean Air and 393 passengers of Asiana Airlines were stranded in Bangkok because their return flights were canceled.

All flights of Thai Airways were also canceled yesterday.

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