Stranded tourists wait it out as Thai airport chaos continues

Tensions in Thailand were mounting tonight as stranded holidaymakers were forced to wait it out in Bangkok.

At the international airport anti-government protesters attacked police, smashing vehicles and firing shots.

And at Government House scores of protesters were injured in an explosion.

The protesters have been occupying the international and domestic airports since Tuesday, forcing a halt to all flights.

Thailand’s airport authority said it was extending the closure of Suvarnabhumi international airport until at least 6pm on Monday. It means hundreds of holidaymakers face several more days of frustration.

About 750,000 Brits travel to the country every year, including many independent travellers looking for sun, sea and adventure.

England rugby league captain Jamie Peacock, whose pregnant wife Faye is stuck in Bangkok with their four-year-old son, said: “The country is on the brink of a lot of trouble. It’s as if they have forgotten about these people.”

And John Neilson, 67, who is stranded in the capital, said: “We have work to do, families to look after.

“I’ve got a £12,000 (€14,514) contract that starts on Monday. If I’m not there, I don’t get paid.”

Some tourists have taken buses hundreds of miles to airports on the southern island of Phuket or in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

Others have travelled overland to neighbouring Cambodia and Malaysia.

Thai Airways has started arranging flights from the U-tapao military base 120 miles south east of the capital.

But David Walker, 40, a banker from London, said: “I don’t want to get stuck at a military base in the backwaters of Thailand with no facilities. We’re just sitting tight.”

About 400 anti-government protesters attacked a police checkpoint at the international airport where 150 officers were stationed.

Armed with metal bars, they smashed the windscreens of four police vehicles and threw firecrackers at officers.

The four-minute assault broke the police cordon which was set up around the airport to stop supplies getting through.

Video footage appeared to show one of them firing a handgun towards a police van filled with officers.

Police said there were no injuries on either side.

At the prime minister’s compound, which protesters have held since August, at least 33 people were wounded, including five who were hospitalised.

The protest group has been attacked several times by small bombs and grenades, including a blast earlier this month that killed one person and wounded 29.

Andy Cooper, director general of the Federation of Tour Operators, said the five or six hundred British tourists stranded in Thailand with tour operators were in a “wait and see situation”.

And a spokesman for Abta, the travel association, said: “Hundreds of British tourists are over in Bangkok with our members.

“They are in a better position than people who travelled independently.

“The operators are keeping in contact with them, making sure they are in hotels, and in many cases paying their bills. They are being looked after.

“It’s still a volatile situation and we are waiting for the airport to reopen rather than evacuating people. We could see the situation change rapidly.”

The Federation of Thai Industries estimated the cost of lost trade due to the airport shutdowns at $57m (€45m) to $85m (€67m) a day.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “The situation in Thailand remains tense and we are following events closely. Our priority is the safety of British nationals.”

The protesters, who call themselves the People’s Alliance for Democracy, accuse the government of being a puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup and fled overseas to escape corruption charges.