Yellow Shirt Leader Rejects Airport Seizure Charges
|
The "yellow shirts" closure of Thailand's two main airports in 2008 caused considerable damage to Thailand's tourism industry and trade and ended the prime ministership of Somchai Wongsawat.
Sondhi Limthongkul, a core leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), also known as the Yellow Shirt movement, has reported to police to acknowledge charges in relation to the seizure of Thailand's two main airports in 2008.
Mr Sondhi rejected
all the charges, and the prosecutor set July 8 to hear the case.
The Yellow Shirt
protesters staged mass protests in 2008 that led to the blockade of Thailand's
two main airports--Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang.
The airport siege
paralysed the tourism industry and helped to topple the then Somchai Wongsawat
administration which the Yellow Shirts accused of being a proxy of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The airport seizure
in late 2008 left hundreds of thousands of Thai and foreign passengers
stranded.
The blockade was lifted
after the Constitution Court disbanded the ruling People Power Party after the
party was found guilty of poll fraud. All party executives, including Prime
Minister Somchai were disqualified. Mr Somchai was then automatically removed
from his post as prime minister.
Thailand | Thaivisa General Community Banks Travel Living Airlines Useful Links |