Thai police confront airport protesters
- 00:01:46
- ITN
Thai police confront airport protesters
The plight of Britons trapped in Thailand has been described as "deeply concerning" by a Foreign Officer minister. An estimated 3,000 people, including several hundred Britons, have been trapped in the country after anti-government protesters took over Bangkok's international airport. Among them is the pregnant wife of England rugby league captain Jamie Peacock. The 30-year-old, who plays for Leeds Rhinos, said he does not believe enough was being done to help people stranded in the Thai capital. His wife Faye, 33, who is six months pregnant, their son Lewis, four, and Faye's mother Pat, were due to fly back to England from Bangkok on Monday when Suvarnabhumi international airport was overrun by protesters. Mrs Peacock was returning from supporting her husband at the Rugby League World Cup when her flight back to the UK was cancelled and she was trapped at the airport before being moved to a hotel in Bangkok. All flights in and out of the airport have been cancelled since the People's Alliance for Democracy took over the building, demanding the resignation of Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell said: "The situation facing the many British nationals stranded in Bangkok is frustrating and deeply concerning. "Our consular teams on the ground and in London are doing all they can to help. They are taking numerous calls and are meeting as many British nationals as possible." A day after their police chief was sacked for mishandling the protests, commanders on the ground said they would not yet forcibly evict the protesters.
ITN | November 29, 2008
