Thai protesters occupying airports bracing for police raids

Protesters that have been blockading Bangkok’s airports are saying that they will “fight to the death,” after hearing that the Thai prime minister declared a state of emergency, authorizing police to storm the occupied airport terminals.

Police have indicated that they would attempt to negotiate with the protesters before evicting them, fearing that a forced eviction would lead to bloodshed. The siege has paralysed the Thai government and left thousands of air passengers stranded in Bangkok.

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat imposed emergency rule at the capital’s two airports on Thursday night, following a meeting of the cabinet, saying that he could not allow the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demonstrators to hold the country hostage.

“We are not afraid. We will fight to the death, we will not surrender and we are ready,” Somsak Kosaisuk, one of the PAD’s leaders, said to supporters at the Don Mueang domestic airport.

Protesters prepared for the police to raid the airports after the prime minister authorized them to re-take the terminal buildings. The elected government has been struggling to survive as rumours mount about an impending coup by army generals.

On Thursday morning, the Don Mueang airport was shut down after being overrun by protesters, and effectively severing the last outside air link between the Thai capital and the outside world.

Suvarnabhumi international airport, which is a major air hub for Southeast Asia, has been closed since Tuesday when protesters overran the control tower.

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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