Thai police order airport protesters to disperse
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Stand off: Police on the main road to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (Reuters: Chaiwat Subprasom)
There are fears of more violence on the streets of Bangkok after supporters of Thailand's troubled Government set up a protest camp in the middle of the city and police ordered thousands of anti-Government protesters blockading two major airports to disperse.
Police ordered thousands of anti-Government protesters to end their siege of Bangkok's airports, restricting public gatherings and warning offenders would be jailed or fined.
The stakes rose as thousands of red-clad government supporters also rallied in the capital, their first major show of strength since the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) launched its "final battle" on Monday to unseat the Government.
Police vowed to keep the two sides apart, but when pro-Government forces held a rally in the same part of Bangkok in September, they later marched on PAD lines and fighting ensued.
Suvarnabhumi International airport and the city's domestic hub, Don Muang, have been paralysed since Tuesday and Thursday respectively by the sieges, stranding 100,000 tourists.
It was unclear how police would enforce their order to disperse, which bans public gatherings of more than five people.
A state of emergency is in place at both airports, but the police have been unable to get access to the sites to evict the protesters.
Around 200 police in riot gear were spotted on Sunday, but they made no move toward the PAD barricades and later retreated.
Qantas says it will operate a special service from Phuket to Singapore tonight night to rescue some of the Australian tourists who are stranded in Thailand.
Tens of thousands of airline passengers have been trying to leave the country via a small naval airbase, more than 100 kilometres outside Bangkok.
Reports say the authorities there have been overwhelmed as angry passengers shove their way into a tiny terminal building.
-Reuters/ABC
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