Suvarnabhumi siege ends

People's Alliance for Democracy followers last night started bidding farewell to Suvarnabhumi Airport, bringing an end to their eight-day siege that has caused incalculable damage to the country and the economy.

Airport authorities are now rushing to reopen the regional aviation hub, shuttered since it was hijacked on November 25.

Serirat Pasutanond, acting president of Airports of Thailand (AOT), said earlier that Suvarnabhumi could be officially reopened to passenger flights on December 15, but after the PAD began to vacate the premises, he said resumption of services would depend on inspections of the extent of damage to systems and facilities.

Claiming to have won their "final battle", the government opponents made their exit after the Constitution Court disbanded the People Power Party and two other government coalition partners - automatically dismissing Somchai Wongsawat as prime minister in the process.

Suwannee Samrongwattana, deputy airport director, said several incoming and outgoing flights were operated by eight Thai and foreign carriers at the airport last night.

Officials from the airlines and the International Air Transport Association will today start checking security and other systems.

More than 200,000 foreign and Thai travellers were stranded by the forced closure of both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.

Hardest hit are the country's international image, tourism and related industries, with damage estimated in excess of Bt100 billion.

Suwannee said protesters last night started to clear out the first, second and third floors of the terminal, while those on the fourth floor agreed to leave today following lengthy negotiations.

An airport security team also started inspecting designated areas inside the terminal last night to ensure that all areas are safe to resume operations.

AOT yesterday renewed air cargo services at Suvarnabhumi at 9am.

Serirat reported that the airport had already lost Bt350 million in revenue, while the shutdown of cargo services had caused lost business opportunities and other costs approaching some Bt25 billion.

Thai Airways International and other domestic and international airlines have also suffered tremendously from the mass occupations of the two airports.

AOT reported a total of 27 international flights yesterday operated by THAI, AirAsia, Nok Air and China Southern to evacuate passengers still stuck in limbo.

ACM Somchai Tien-anant, managing director of Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, said a total of 45 flights had taken off from Suvarnabhumi since Sunday after protesters allowed stranded aircraft to leave.

He said that now Somchai was no longer prime minister, the PAD had no more excuses to camp out at the airports.

The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking said in a statement that the incumbent government had lost its capability to manage the country, so other parties should be allowed to form a new administration.

"If there is no success, the National Assembly [Parliament] should be dissolved to return the power to the people," it said.

The JSCCIB also asked the |PAD protesters to leave the airports immediately and demanded that they stop all unlawful demonstrations.