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Updated Thursday, December 4, 2008 5:13 pm TWN, By VIJAY JOSHI, AP

Thai restores international air links

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thailand's main airport checked security and computer systems as it prepared to restore normal operations after a weeklong closure forced by anti-government protesters, as millions of Thais awaited a speech Thursday by their beloved monarch for guidance on ending the country's political paralysis.

Suvarnabhumi airport, Thailand's main international gateway and a regional hub, will be "open for full services including check-in and immigration" at 11 a.m. (0400 GMT) Friday, airport chief Serirat Prasutanont said in a statement.

National airline Thai Airways has already restarted operations at the airport. Singapore Airlines is to start Friday and many other airlines are expected to follow suit. The smaller domestic Don Muang airport was functioning normally with Thai Airways flying all of its scheduled flights within the country.

The sieges of the two airports by the People's Alliance for Democracy stranded more than 300,000 travelers in Thailand, while many others were unable to fly into the country during the peak tourist season.

Thai officials have been scrambling to get Suvarnabhumi fully functional in time for the birthday Friday of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The king was scheduled to give his customary birthday-eve speech later Thursday. Many Thais hoped it would give guidance for ending the country's political crisis, which received a temporary respite when a court ousted Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat on Tuesday for voter fraud in the last elections. The alliance handed back the airports the next day.

The airport crisis has taken a heavy toll on the tourism industry - a pillar of the Thai economy - as holiday cancelations pour in from around the world.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects foreign tourist arrivals to fall by half from the projected 15 million next year.

Some hotels slashed their rates by as much as 80 percent to fill empty rooms, The Nation newspaper reported.

Thai Airways and the Airports Authority of Thailand were preparing to sue protest leaders for damages resulting from the airports' seizure.

Tuesday's court ruling banned Somchai from politics from five years and disbanded three main parties in the ruling coalition.

But other members of his coalition were preparing to join other parties and choose a new prime minister, a move that could once again prompt the alliance to take to the streets if the next prime minister is seen as a proxy of the former government.

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	Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadaj and Queen Sirikit review the Royal Guards at the Royal Plaze Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008, in Bangkok, Thailand. The king is scheduled to make a radio speech Thursday night, Dec. 4, 2008 on the eve of his birthday and may Thais are hoping that he will offer guidance on the current political crisis. (AP) Enlarge Photo


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