Anti-government protesters consolidated their positions at Thailand's besieged main airport today as attention shifted to a court verdict that could end the crisis.
Officials from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) said they were shifting the focus of their protest from Government House in central Bangkok to Suvarnabhumi Airport, which they took over last week, paralysing flight traffic and leaving thousands of tourists stranded.
Anchalee Paireerak said the PAD would maintain a presence through its "security guards" at Government House, which it overran in August, but would no longer be running a round-the-clock protest at the site.
"Everything has been moved to Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang," she said, referring to the two airports that the protesters have taken over.
Thousands of yellow-clad PAD protesters defied police and occupied Suvarnabhumi for a seventh day today in a campaign to topple prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, whom they accuse of being a pawn for his brother-in-law, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and has lived in exile since.
The main domestic hub, Don Muang, has also been occupied, and the air cargo industry ground to a halt.
There was some cheer today for the tens of thousands of tourists affected by the airport closures, when PAD officials said they would allow 88 aircraft stuck at Suvarnabhumi to leave.
Operators said they intended to bring them quickly into service to pick up passengers from U-Tapao and other airports outside the capital, the Bangkok Post said.
The government is providing free hotel rooms and meals for those stranded, but dealing with the estimated 100,000 people affected is proving a logistical nightmare and many are falling through the net.
Forecasts for an economy already suffering from the global financial crisis are grim. Today, rating agency S& P revised Thailand's outlook from stable to negative, saying there was a possibility of widespread violence.
Finance minister Suchart Thada-Thamrongvech said today the economy might be flat next year, or grow by just 1 to 2 per cent, after earlier growth forecasts of between 4-5 per cent.
The general manager of Suvarnabhumi said it could take a week to resume operations when the protesters finally leave, because security and computer systems had been compromised during the blockade.
Mr Somchai has been in the north of the country since returning from an overseas trip last week but is supposed to attend a ceremony in Bangkok tomorrow to mark the king's birthday.
Also tomorrow, a vote fraud case that could deliver a crippling blow to the six-party coalition government will end.
The Constitutional Court has moved with uncharacteristic speed to wrap up the case and is widely expected to order the disbanding of Mr Somchai's People Power Party (PPP) and two other coalition partners.
If it does, Mr Somchai and other leaders would be barred from politics and many cabinet ministers would have to step down. The PPP's dissolution, however, will not necessarily mean a snap election as many MPs will simply switch to a new "shell" party.
The stakes have risen with thousands of government supporters now also rallying in the capital, the first show of strength by the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) in a week.
DAAD leader Veera Musikapong has denounced the court case as a "concealed coup" and government supporters have threatened to take to the streets if the ruling goes against Mr Somchai.
Reuters