Thai Troops Prepare to Storm Airport

300,000 stranded travelers scramble to grab seats

(NEWSER) - Flights have resumed at Bangkok's international airport as a mob of Thai protesters began exiting after a week-long siege. A passenger flight has already landed, and cargo planes have taken off. The first departing passenger plane is scheduled tomorrow, reports CNN. It will be days before both airports in the city shut down by anti-government protesters will be back up to full speed, according to officials. Some 300,000 stranded travelers are awaiting flights out of the city. More»

PM backs out as protesters threaten government

(NEWSER) - Thailand's prime minister has canceled an appearance at the annual Southeast Asia summit as rioters threaten to topple his government. Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency yesterday hours after anti-government protesters stormed the country's parliament in Bangkok. The decree bans spreading information that threatens national security and allows authorities to arrest, detain and search people without court order, CNN notes. More»

(NEWSER) - Anti-government protesters ignored Thailand’s state of emergency by the thousands today while former PM Thaksin Shinawatra called on them “to come out in revolution,” the New York Times reports. In defiance of a ban on gatherings of more than five people in Bangkok, demonstrators rallied outside the current prime minister’s home, attacked his car, and erected barricades in case of military intervention. More»

Gov't bans gatherings of more than 5 in capital

(AP) - Thailand's embattled government, humiliated by demonstrators who shut down a 16-nation Asian summit, declared a state of emergency in the capital today and ordered armored vehicles into the streets to stem a tide of protest across the country. Bands of anti-government protesters roamed Bangkok as the decree was announced. They smashed a car, commandeered public buses, and beat up motorists who hurled insults at them. More»

(AP) - Thailand's prime minister unveiled his new cabinet today, including a supporter of last month's airport blockade in a lineup that cast doubt on the government's ability to unite the divided nation, the AP reports. The announcement came after King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the country's revered monarch, endorsed Abhisit Vejjajiva, whom lawmakers voted in as prime minister on Dec. 15. The cabinet will be sworn in Monday. More»