Bangkok Cut off: Second Airport Closed

The battering of Thailand continues Thursday as authorities were forced to shut down Bangkok's second airport after it was swarmed by anti-government protesters, the closure cut off the capital from the rest of the world as the prime minister rejected resignation demands, deepening the country's crisis.

Thailand's powerful army commander, who has remained neutral in the conflict, stepped into the fray Wednesday, urging Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to step down.

He also asked thousands of protesters to end their siege of the main international Suvarnabhumi airport. It has been shut since Tuesday night, leaving hundreds of flights canceled and drawing world attention to a turmoil that has reduced Thailand to a dysfunctional nation.

The anti-government protests, which gathered pace four months ago, have paralyzed the government, battered the stock market, spooked foreign investors and dealt a serious blow to the tourism industry.

The crisis worsened early Thursday as authorities shut down the Don Muang domestic airport, which had been receiving some diverted flights from Suvarnabhumi.

A top airport official said, authorities feared that protesters might harm passengers and aircraft, thousands of tourists are stranded at the two Bangkok airports.

He said authorities might use the U Ta Pao air force base, 140 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of Bangkok, and were alerting airports nationwide to be ready to receive more diverted flights.

The closure of the two airports left thousands of foreign tourists stranded, including Americans trying to get home for their Thanksgiving holiday Thursday.

The protests are being led by a loose coalition known as the People's Alliance for Democracy. It accuses Somchai of acting as the puppet for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a September 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption and abuse of power. Thaksin, who is Somchai's brother-in-law, is in exile, a fugitive from a conviction for violating a conflict of interest law.

On Wednesday, a district court ordered the alliance leaders and their supporters to immediately leave Suvarnabhumi International Airport, calling it "an infringement on other individuals who have freedom of movement."

However, the protesters are unlikely to heed the order -- a reflection of their boldness amid the government's unwillingness to use force for fear of causing bloodshed.

Still, Prime Minister Somchai, who returned from Peru on Wednesday but was forced to land in the northern city of Chiang Mai, is also not budging from his position.