Thailand

Army denies coup rumours as protesters close second airport

Article published on the 2008-11-27 Latest update 2008-11-27 15:22 TU

An anti-government protester sleeps on luggage trolleys in Bangkok's Don Muang airport
(Photo: Reuters)

Thailand's army has denied rumours that it is planning a coup, although it has moved tanks near the parliament building. Earlier anti-government protesters closed Bangkok's second airport, after the earlier occupation of the city's main airport, Suvarnabhumi International. The government has appealed to the army to stay in barracks.

"The military have moved tanks for strategic purposes but I can confirm that there is no coup and the military has not been ordered to be on stand-by," army spokesperson Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd told the AFP news agency.

The blockading of Don Mueang airport on Thursday meant government ministers were unable to fly to Chiang Mai in the north of the country to meet with Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.

"The situation is very tense. There are reports of troop movements into Bangkok, and the army denies that they have anything to do with the coup d'etat," said  Giles Ungpakorn, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University.

Somchai had said on Wednesday that his government would "preserve democracy", rejecting calls from the army head General Anupong Paojinda to dismiss the parliament and call elections.

"The army factions that staged the coup in 2006 wanted to restrict democracy on the basis that the poor don't deserve the right to vote," said Ungpakorn.

Government Ministers attempted to reach the Prime Minister in Chiang Mai using small aircraft, one of which was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok after it developed technical problems on Thursday.

The ministers changed planes and took off again for the north of the country where the head of the government has been since his return from last weekend's Apec summit in Peru.

He was not able to land at Bangkok's main airport because of the protesters who support the People's Alliance for Democracy movement which accuses the Prime Minister of being a puppet of exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat said on Thursday that the upcoming Asean summit of south-east Asian nations was a cause for concern for several member countries.

He said countries such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam were fearing for their foreign embassies and had suggested postponing the summit which is scheduled to take place in Chiang Mai in December.

Sompong said any decision on the summit would be taken by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.