Thai airport protests 'end'
Anti-government protestors celebrate as Somchai Wongsawat banned from politics for five years
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Tuesday, 02, Dec 2008 06:58
Anti-government activists in Thailand have agreed to end their airport protests, allowing thousands of stranded tourists to return home.
It was announced today that the main Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok would reopen from midnight on Thursday
Demonstrators from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) group, calling for the government to dissolve, closed down two of Bangkok's main airports last month.
Earlier, British foreign secretary David Miliband the government had been pushing for a "systematic rather than symbolic response", calling for extra commercial flights out of the country.
Mr Miliband added that the British embassy would continue to be open "round the clock" and consulate staff had taken some 2,500 phone calls during the crisis.
Earlier on Tuesday, Thailand's constitutional court ordered the dissolution of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) because of fraud during the last election.
The party's leaders, including the current prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, have been banned from politics for five years.
Chat Chalavorn, the head of the court panel, said they had "decided to dissolve the party to set a political standard and an example", adding that "dishonest political parties undermine Thailand's democratic system".
"The court had no other option," he said.
A spokesman for the PAD told the al-Jazeera news agency that the decision was a victory for the Thai people.
The group has been demonstrating outside parliamentary offices since August and shut down two of Bangkok's main airports in recent weeks.
"We have been trying to protect the constitution, and the PPP have been trying to amend it to put forward their interests," Parnthep Pourpangan said.
"Now we will have a meeting with the PAD leaders, and we have to decide which course of action to take. We hope to end the protests at the airport, and we are aware of the disruptions caused, but our aim is to keep our Thai constitution intact."
The court also ordered on Tuesday that two other members of the ruling coalition, the Chart Thai party and the Machima Thipatai party, be dissolved and that its leaders be banned for five years.
In response to the court's ruling the PPP said the decision was a "coup committed by the courts, and not by the military", claiming that the party would regroup under a new name and propose a new prime minister.
The PAD had been campaigning for the government to dissolve claiming that Mr Somchai was acting on behalf of his brother-in-law and former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.