Thailand’s army commander urged protesters yesterday to leave Bangkok airport and called for elections to end the country’s political crisis after a day of chaos in which thousands of travelers were stranded.
All flights were canceled and frustrated passengers bused to hotels, as protesters shut down Suvarnabhumi Airport in a major escalation of their four-month campaign to oust the prime minister.
“The government should give the public a chance to decide in a fresh election,” General Anupong Paochinda said at a news conference after meeting with high-level government officials, academics, economists and security officials.
Suriyasai Katasila, a spokesman for the protesters, said the group would not abide by the army chief’s plea.
“Right now, our demand remains the same. If the government does not quit, we will not quit,” he said.
Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat returned from an APEC summit in Peru yesterday and said that he had not decided whether to heed the call to dissolve parliament.
The protest group, the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), appears intent on forcing the military to intervene and bring down the elected regime.
There was no word on when flights might resume.
Early yesterday assailants threw four explosives at PAD demonstrators, including one targeting a group about 1km from the airport.
A second was tossed into a crowd at the domestic Don Muang airport, injuring three others, police said. The two other explosives did not injure anyone. It was unclear who staged the attacks.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday reminded Taiwanese nationals in Thailand to exercise caution.
Taiwanese citizens who need help can call the ministry’s representative office in Bangkok at 081-666-4006 around-the-clock, Department of Information and Cultural Affairs deputy director-general James Chang (章計平) said.
The Taipei Association of Travel Agents said about 1,000 Taiwanese travelers have been affected by the flight cancelations at Bangkok’s main airport, including about 500 who were scheduled to fly to Thailand yesterday and 400 who are stranded in Bangkok. Those stranded in Thailand may have to wait another day before they would be able to return, while tourists preparing to fly to Thailand may need to postpone their schedules for a few days, a spokesman for the association said.
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