Thais call off siege of airports

Protesters today agreed to end their blockade of Bangkok's two airports after the fall of the Thai government.

The People's Power Party coalition government was ordered to disband after a court ruled it guilty of election fraud.

Today the People's Alliance for Democracy said it would end the eight-day siege tomorrow despite claiming the government had refused to follow the spirit of the court ruling.

But the news could bring an end to the misery of 7,000 Britons who are among hundreds of thousands tourists trapped by the seizure of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International airport, and of the Don Muang feeder airport, which had left the capital isolated.

The Thai Airports Authority suggested flights could resume within days. Stranded Britons are said to be angry that the British government has not arranged for flights to take them out of the country.

No sooner had the government been ordered to disband than it appointed a caretaker prime minister and said it would continue to run the country indicating it clearly would not be going without a fight.

The decision by the Constitution Court in Bangkok angered 80,000 red-shirted pro-government supporters who had been bussed in to the capital, fuelling fears of further violence.

Today's decision - announced by the head of the nine-judge panel, Chat Chonlaworn - found the PPP and its coalition partners, the Machima Thipatai party and the Chart Thai party, guilty of vote buying.

Judge Chat said he hoped the ruling would set a new "political standard" for Thailand.

The court also banned most of the executive members of prime minister Somchai Wongsawat's government from taking part in politics for five years.

The scenes of jubilation by PAD demonstrators at the blockaded airports were short-lived, however.

The PPP cabinet appointed current deputy prime minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul, a staunch supporter of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, at whom much of the protesters' hate is directed. In anticipation of the courts decision Mr Thaksin's supporters have already founded an alternative party, headed by his cousin.

The protest leaders said they would not tolerate PPP members of its current cabinet continuing to rule in Bangkok, even though 22 of its 35 members had not been banned from politics. Mr Somchai and his chief advisers are still in the northern capital of Chiang Mai and have refused to return to the capital because, he says, of the uncertain military situation.

The possibility still remains open for Thailand's army chief, General Anuporn Paochinda, to be ordered to keep order until the situation is more clear.

Most Thais are concerned that the violence does not escalate before the birthday of Thailand's revered monarch King Bhumipol Adulyadej on Friday..