Thailand tourists to be flown out
Thousands of stranded tourists will be flown out of Thai military bases in the next 48 hours, the country's tourism minister promised.
Weerasak Kohsurat said those with "urgent needs" will be taken to U-Tapao air force base, 90 miles from Bangkok and possibly an air force base at Kamphaeng Saen, a northern suburb of Bangkok.
Weerasak said Thai Airways would provide the planes and then tourists could catch connecting flights in Singapore or Malaysia.
Along with the use of the military bases, Weerasak said the government was also considering using buses and trains to transport tourists to other airports in the country, including those in Phuket and Chiang Mai.
Thai authorities have shut down Bangkok's second airport after it was overrun by anti-government protesters. The move cuts off the capital from air traffic.
Meanwhile, Thailand's powerful army commander, who has remained neutral in the conflict, stepped into the fray, urging prime minister Somchai Wongsawat to step down.
He also asked thousands of protesters to end their siege of the main international Suwarnabhumi airport, which has been running since Tuesday.
The anti-government protests, which gathered pace four months ago, have paralysed the government, battered the stock market, spooked foreign investors and dealt a serious blow to the tourism industry.
The Don Muang domestic airport, the latest airport to be targeted, had been receiving some diverted flights from Suwarnabhumi.
The protests are being led by a loose coalition known as the People's Alliance for Democracy. It accuses Mr 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.