Thai protests topple government, but airports remain closed

Thailand’s under-siege government finally stepped down today in the face of mass protests, but the country’s main airport looked set to remain closed for a least another fortnight.

A court found the top three ruling parties guilty of electoral fraud and temporarily banned the prime minister from politics.

The Constitutional Court ruling set the stage for thousands of protesters to end their week-long siege of the country’s two main airports.

Protest leaders said a decision on whether to end the airport protests – and allow hundreds of thousands of stranded travellers to leave the country – would be made later today. A Thai aviation official said Suvarnabhumi international airport was to reopen to cargo flights despite the siege.

But the country’s airports director Serirat Prasutanont said that Suvarnabhumi will remain closed to passenger flights until at least December 15 due to the disruption caused by the anti-government protesters.

He said it lost nearly £7m (€8.19m) due to the week-long closure forced by anti-government protesters.

After the court ruling a government spokesman said Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and his six-party ruling coalition would step down.

“We will abide by the law. The coalition parties will meet together to plan for its next move soon,” he said.

Somchai had become increasingly isolated. Neither the army, a key player in Thai politics, nor the country’s much-revered king had offered him firm backing.

Somchai’s People’s Power Party, the Machima Thipatai party and the Chart Thai party were found guilty of committing fraud in the December 2007 elections that brought the coalition to power with a thumping majority.

The case stems from an earlier Supreme Court conviction of a PPP executive committee member, Yongyuth Tiyapairat, who was found guilty of buying votes. Under Thai law, an entire party can be disbanded if one executive member is found guilty of electoral fraud. Similar individual cases brought down the other parties.

The court dissolved the parties “to set a political standard and an example,” said Court President Chat Chalavorn. “Dishonest political parties undermine Thailand’s democratic system.”

Members of the three dissolved parties who escaped the ban can join other parties, try to cobble together a new coalition then choose a new prime minister.

Until then, deputy prime minister Chaowarat Chandeerakul will become the caretaker prime minister.

Despite the appearance of a smooth political transition, the ruling is expected to widen the dangerous rift in Thai society that many fear could lead to violence between pro- and anti-government groups.

Hundreds of Somchai’s supporters gathered outside the court to express their anger, saying the swiftness of the ruling – which came just an hour after the closing arguments ended – reeked of predetermination. At one point they cut off the power supply to the court, but electricity was restored with diesel generators.

Outside the airport, the verdict was read out on a protest stage outside the main terminal, triggering cheers and loud roars of jubilation.

Protest leaders, meanwhile, told alliance members to stay put at Suvarnabhumi and the smaller Don Muang domestic airport, despite the ruling.

Up to 10,000 protesters have besieged the airports, forcing authorities to shut them down, cutting off all commercial air traffic to the capital, stranding more than 300,000 foreign travellers.

With the two main airports closed, stranded travellers are being flown out of provincial airports with limited passenger capacity or are making their way overland to neighbouring Malaysia.