Thai airport protests to end after PM is banned

Anti-government protesters in Bangkok are ecstatic after getting what they want and they have agreed to end their week-long airport sit-ins. Their celebrations were sparked by news from Thailand’s Constitutional Court. In a ruling on electoral fraud, it has disbanded the governing party and excluded the prime minister from politics for the next five years. Further flashpoints however could lie ahead. Members of the government say they are reassembling under another name and they want parliament to vote on a new premier on Monday.

With feelings running high, there are fears of a violent backlash, with supporters of the barred leader taking out their frustration on the streets. The court disbanded two other groups in the ruling coalition and excluded party executives as well as Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. His critics accuse him of a being a puppet of his brother-in-law, Thailand’s ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Today’s dramatic developments came as the country’s revered King took part in a Trooping the Colour military parade. The annual ceremony was a picture of tradition and serenity, in marked contrast to the chaos elsewhere in Bangkok.

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tags: Thailand