ID :
17518
Sat, 08/30/2008 - 12:18
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/17518
The shortlink copeid
PHUKET AIRPORT REMAINS CLOSED, HATYAI AIRPORT REOPENS
BANGKOK, Aug 30 (Bernama) -- Phuket International Airport remains closed as anti-government protesters continued their siege for the second day, but Hatyai Airport has reopened.
A Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight that was supposed to have departed Kuala Lumpur for Phuket in the morning has been cancelled, a MAS official said.
"But if the Phuket airport is reopened later in the day, we will use a
bigger aircraft to carry all our passengers. There were close to 100 passengers
affected when our flight (out of Phuket) was cancelled last night ... but not
all passengers turned up at the airport as the roads were blocked," he
said.
However, MAS subsidiary Firefly, which flies four times a week to the
resort
island, was unaffected as its flight took off before supporters of the People's
Alliance for Democracy (PAD) stormed the airport, as well as those in Hatyai and
Krabi, crippling the three southern airports. There has been no confirmation yet
if Krabi Airport has reopened or remains closed.
Besides MAS and Firefly, AirAsia also flies between Kuala Lumpur and Phuket
and Krabi.
Security at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports has been
tightened while airport operations went on smoothly as workers did not heed the
call by the Thai International Airways Labour Union to go on strike.
In the capital, PAD continued its siege of Government House for the fifth
day running, with supporters sitting inside dozens of tents listening to
speeches given by their leaders despite the heavy rain in the morning.
Riot police remained in the vicinity but did not make any move to enter the
premises where the Prime Minister's Office is while the army has ruled out
confronting the protesters or staging a coup to end the deadlock.
But the Thai media reported that Thai Army chief Anupong Paochinda has
asked Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to resign.
Samak, one report said, was granted an audience by King Bhumibol Adulyadej
in Hua Hin Friday night.
So far, Samak has declined calls for him to step down, as well as using
force to break up the protests.
-- BERNAMA
A Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight that was supposed to have departed Kuala Lumpur for Phuket in the morning has been cancelled, a MAS official said.
"But if the Phuket airport is reopened later in the day, we will use a
bigger aircraft to carry all our passengers. There were close to 100 passengers
affected when our flight (out of Phuket) was cancelled last night ... but not
all passengers turned up at the airport as the roads were blocked," he
said.
However, MAS subsidiary Firefly, which flies four times a week to the
resort
island, was unaffected as its flight took off before supporters of the People's
Alliance for Democracy (PAD) stormed the airport, as well as those in Hatyai and
Krabi, crippling the three southern airports. There has been no confirmation yet
if Krabi Airport has reopened or remains closed.
Besides MAS and Firefly, AirAsia also flies between Kuala Lumpur and Phuket
and Krabi.
Security at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports has been
tightened while airport operations went on smoothly as workers did not heed the
call by the Thai International Airways Labour Union to go on strike.
In the capital, PAD continued its siege of Government House for the fifth
day running, with supporters sitting inside dozens of tents listening to
speeches given by their leaders despite the heavy rain in the morning.
Riot police remained in the vicinity but did not make any move to enter the
premises where the Prime Minister's Office is while the army has ruled out
confronting the protesters or staging a coup to end the deadlock.
But the Thai media reported that Thai Army chief Anupong Paochinda has
asked Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to resign.
Samak, one report said, was granted an audience by King Bhumibol Adulyadej
in Hua Hin Friday night.
So far, Samak has declined calls for him to step down, as well as using
force to break up the protests.
-- BERNAMA
