Hope for Bangkok flights
01 / 12 / 2008
CARGO flights have resumed at Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok after a week-long blockade by anti-government protesters. Estimates suggest that Thailand has been losing US$85m (£55.4m) a day in lost trade due to the blockade.
The middle-class and business elite protesters claim that Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is corrupt and a puppet for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a military coup in 2006.
Resumption of cargo flights comes after the constitutional court found the ruling coalition guilty of buying votes. Many of the coalition’s executive members, including Mr Somchai, were found guilty of being personally involved and banned from politics for five years. When the 2,000 protestors heard the news they announced that they would leave both airports by Wednesday 3rd December.
However, until that happens, the blockade is not over for passenger flights, which are still not flying leaving an estimated 100,000 tourists still stranded in the country.