Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., November 28, 2008 Kislev 1, 5769 | | Israel Time: 01:41 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate GA 2008 Travel Week's End Anglo File

El Al redirects Bangkok flights away from seething city By Zohar Blumenkrantz, Noah Kosharek and Irit Rosenblum Israel's national carrier El Al suspended its flights to Bangkok on Wednesday, after protesters shut down the city's main airport in a major escalation of their four-month campaign to oust Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. El Al said that until further notice, all flights to Thailand will land in Pattaya Airport, some 200 kilometers north of the capital. A representative of the firm told Haaretz that the company will provide transportation to Bangkok for all its passengers. Advertisement With no resolution in sight at Bankok airport yesterday, hundreds of passengers were ushered down stairs and escalators to waiting buses for transportation to area hotels. Others sprawled across suitcases, luggage carts and even security conveyor belts in largely unsuccessful attempts to sleep. As tempers rose, yellow-clad protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy, known as the PAD, distributed fliers trying to explain their action. "The People's Alliance apologizes for any inconvenience the closure of the Suvarnabhumi Airport may cause to the public and international visitors to the kingdom of Thailand. But the alliance believes the measure is crucial to bring an end to the traitorous killer government," the flier read. Among those stranded at Suvarnabhumi was Moran Netef, 25, who was supposed to fly out of the country aboard a Qatar Airways flight yesterday, after spending more than a month in Thailand. "We saw them on the way in, and we were worried they might have guns," she said about the demonstrators who had taken control of the airport earlier. It soon became clear that the protesters posed no danger to the tourists, she added. After a few fruitless hours at the airport, Netef made the trip back into the city. "We go out at night no problem, and there's really no cause for concern here," said another stranded tourist, Tzachi Hoffman. Even if things do not get out of hand in Thailand, the stalemate between the protesters and the Thai prime minister could be an extended one. Yesterday, Wongsawat rejected his army chief's call to quit in the face of the anti-government protests, which according to the army "threaten to spiral out of control across the country." The protesters, who are loyal to Thailand's deposed king, have been battling the government for six months now, with the worst clashes occuring on October 7, when two protesters were killed and hundreds injured in clashes between police and protesters. Previously, Thailand had enjoyed 16 years of relative calm since a violent coup in 1992. The 2006 coup that precipitated the current situation was bloodless. David Lee Heyman, who returned from Bangkok yesterday aboard an El Al flight, described a more dramatic picture of the airport. "The general atmosphere was tense," he said. "There was a lot of movement by people who came and left by taxi, and when I reached the airport I saw some 30 police officers passing by, equipped with crowd dispersal gear." Heyman says the officers were probably on their way to the terminal's second floor, where protesters attempted to break down a door and go out to the field itself. "By the time I had reached the El Al counter, the loudspeaker said we needed to get out of the terminal for our own safety." When the El Al ground staff heard this, says Heyman, they urged the passengers to prepare everything for check-in, so they could make the flight before the airport was shut down. Meanwhile, staffers from other airlines were busy packing up their counters and leaving the terminal building. After he completed check-in, Heyman says he looked around and inspected the airport. "There were a few people walking around in yellow shirts, but there seemed to be too few of them to really disrupt the airport," he recounted. Thailand currently has anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 Israeli tourists staying in it, according to travel agencies. A flight leaves for Thailand - a preferred tourist destination for Israelis - from Ben Gurion Airport on an almost daily basis. But Israeli tourism to Thailand nonetheless declined this year, long before the airport riots broke out. The Israel Airports Authority reports that in October, the preferred traveling month for Israelis, only 12,427 left from Israel to Thailand - a 31 percent drop compared to the 18,035 travelers to Thailand in October 2007. However, the number of Israelis who made the 11-hour trip to Thailand in 2007 and 2008 could be substantially higher, since many travel there with foreign airlines, primarily through Jordan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Signs of al-Qaida Is the global terror network behind the deadly attacks in Mumbai? Denying Nazi links 104-year-old entertainer files lawsuit: It's not my fault Hitler was my fan.

Read & React Conflicting reports emerge on release of Mumbai Chabad center hostages Responses: 105 Mazuz: Olmert indictment possible in Rishon Tours scandal Responses: 45 Ari Shavit: While the Palestinian track fails, let's focus on Syria Responses: 36 Israel Harel: Defense establishment gives enemy hope that Israel's end is near Responses: 39 More Headlines 00:22 Reports differ over release of Mumbai Chabad center captives 00:33 Yossi Melman / Is al-Qaida behind the Mumbai terror attacks? 01:09 IN PICTURES / Mumbai ravaged by deadly terror attacks 22:35 European powers: Iran showing 'utter disrespect' for UN nuclear watchdog 20:58 104-year-old entertainer files lawsuit: It's not my fault Hitler was my fan 23:31 Body of one-day-old baby found in Be'er Sheva dumpster 17:14 Pope to make rare visit to Israel in May, following months of Jewish-Catholic tension 00:16 Belgian public broadcaster cancels ad that featured Hitler as a stripper 00:32 'I just grabbed the baby and ran,' says Mumbai Chabad employee 01:14 Norwegian ex-premier counters anti-Semitism accusations, slams Israel 15:24 Iran missile launch into space was 'publicity stunt,' Israeli experts say 22:52 Ministers and policymakers approve plan to combat economic crisis 16:03 Ultra-Orthodox MK Ravitz announces retirement from Knesset 04:25 IDF rejects claims it killed Palestinians in defiance of court 07:08 ANALYSIS / What it means: the path to indicting Olmert 10:01 Court ruling sees IDF targeted assassinations as last resort Previous Editions Select Day 27 nov 26 nov 25 nov 24 nov 23 nov 21 nov 20 nov 19 nov 18 nov 17 nov 16 nov 14 nov

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