33 Wounded in Thai Grenade Attack as Airport Takeover Continues
By VOA News
29 November 2008
A grenade blast has wounded at least 33 people outside Thailand's Government House which has been occupied by protesters since August.
It is the latest in a series of blasts over several weeks at the prime minister's offices in Bangkok.
Meanwhile, anti-government protesters attacked a second police checkpoint outside Bangkok's main airport Saturday as a police buildup raised fears of a violent confrontation.
About 150 riot police withdrew when protesters armed with metal rods and hurling firecrackers swarmed their position near Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport.
Earlier, about 1,000 of the protesters forced police to abandon another checkpoint in a confrontation that ended without violence.
About 2,000 police supported by troops, some carrying M-16 assault rifles, have set up a massive cordon around the airport where protesters with the People's Alliance for Democracy have shut down operations since Thursday.
Thai authorities say the airport will remain closed until at least Monday evening.
The siege has stranded as many as 30,000 travelers per day since it began and threatens to cost the Thai tourism industry more than $2 billion in coming months.
Some airlines have begun flights out of the U-Tapao naval base south of Bangkok, but the base is overwhelmed by the numbers of people trying to leave the country.
Protests have also shut down operations at the Don Muang domestic airport outside Bangkok.
Thailand's Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said Friday that security forces will use peaceful means to end the crisis.
Mr. Somchai said authorities will use negotiation and other means appropriate to the situation. He spoke from the northern city of Chiang Mai, where he reportedly plans to remain as the crisis continues in the capital.
The founder of the main protest group, PAD, Sondhi Limthongkul, said he had rejected a direct appeal to negotiate from Mr. Somchai.
Protesters have insisted they will not leave the airports until the prime minister resigns.
The United States on Friday urged the group to walk away from Bangkok airports peacefully.
Mr. Somchai declared a state of emergency around the two Bangkok airports Thursday, a move that allows him to use security forces to clear the protesters.
The current political crisis began after the 2006 coup that removed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra - Mr. Somchai's brother-in-law. Protesters accuse Mr. Somchai of being a proxy for Mr. Thaksin.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
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