Main Bangkok airport to be shut until at least Sat

BANGKOK, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Thailand's main Suvarnabhumi international airport will remain closed until at least 6 p.m. (1100 GMT) on Saturday because of a siege by anti-government protesters, Thai Airways THAI.BK said on Thursday.


The airline, passing on an announcement from Airports of Thailand AOT.BK, said the capital's old Don Muang airport would be closed until 6 p.m. on Friday.


The statement did not say why these times had been chosen.


The government declared a state of emergency at the two sites on Thursday, giving the army and police special powers to clear the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters, who overran the $4 billion Suvarnabhumi site on Tuesday.


However, when a state of emergency was declared at another PAD protest site in September, the army failed to heed the order and did nothing.


Suvarnabhumi is one of Asia's biggest airports, processing as many as 125,000 people a day, 70 percent of them tourists. The airport closure has left thousands of foreigners stranded and will make a huge dent in Thailand's lucrative tourist industry. (Reporting by Ed Cropley; Editing by Alan Raybould)