3K Stranded in Bangkok as PM Refuses to Step Down

Army pressures government as violence grows between factions
By Ambreen Ali,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 26, 2008 12:40 PM CST
3K Stranded in Bangkok as PM Refuses to Step Down
Thailand's Prime Ministe,r Somchai Wongsarat, addressed the nation after sneaking back into the country from an airport in the north.   (AP Photo)

Thailand’s government today rejected a top general’s demand it dissolve parliament and hold elections, the Guardian reports, as protesters demand that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat step down entirely. Wongsawat snuck back into Thailand today and plans to meet with the king, whom protesters support; a pro-government gang killed an opposition member in a clash in the northern province of Chiang Mai.

Meanwhile, at least 3,000 travelers are stuck in Bangkok, where demonstrators have full control of the airport, the BBC reports. Tourists spent 13 hours in a lounge before they were evacuated to nearby hotels. “The scene was very scary, very hairy,” one passenger says. (More Bangkok stories.)

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