Protesters end Thai airport blockades

Thailand's main international airport should be back to normal in two days after anti-government protesters ended their eight-day blockade. The airport's general manager Serirat Prasutanond said a Thai Airways domestic flight from the southern island of Phuket would be the first plane to arrive. He said: "I have strong confidence that everything will be OK and will back to normal in two days." He said the first international flight would land around midnight on Thursday. Mr Serirat said in a statement the airport would be closed until at least December 15 due to the need for security and computers systems checks. Cargo flights are already in operation. The People's Alliance for Democracy, led by a group of royalist businessman, academics and activists, formally marked the end of their occupation by singing the king's anthem before they left. The protesters decided to lift their siege after the courts dismissed the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, whom the PAD accuse of being a puppet of his brother-in-law, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup. No one expects Mr Somchai's departure to provide more than short-term respite to the wider political crisis that has been dragging on for three years. But Thailand's acting Prime Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul has confirmed parliament will vote for a new prime minister next Monday. He said: "I have spoken with the president of parliament and we agreed to push for a vote for the new prime minister on December 8."

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ITN | December 3, 2008

Tags:. .respite. .shinawatra. .brotherinlaw. .thaksin. .antigovernment