Airport authorities closed down Suvarnabhumi airport on Tuesday night as the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) fought with taxi drivers in another step in attempting to topple the government.

Protesters - some masked, some armed with metal rods - broke through police lines and flowed into the busy terminal, disrupting airport operations, in an attempt to stop Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from returning to the country.

PAD demonstrators used cars and trucks to block the only highway with access to the airport.

Acting Airports of Thailand (AoT) president and Acting Suvarnabhumi Airport Director Serirat Prasutanont announced shortly after 9pm that the airport cancelled all departing flights.

For the time being incoming flights are still arriving, but airport operations have been greatly disrupted.

PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul announced at the anti-government stage at Government House that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat must resign without any condition to pay for its guilt in the Oct 7 violence which killed on demonstrator and injured more than 400 people at parliament.

Government Spokesman Nattawut Saikua had announced earlier that the premier, a brother-in-law of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, would return to Thailand via an alternate port of entry.

© 2008 Bangkok Post