Anti-government protesters block Phuket's airport leaving thousands of foreign tourists stranded in the Thai resort
© AFP/File BANGKOK (AFP) - Up to 15,000 passengers have been stranded at the airport on the southern resort isle of Phuket -- the gem of Thailand's tourism industry -- after protesters stormed the runway and blockaded the entrances on Friday.
"The airport resumed operations at about 11:00 am (0400 GMT)," said Vicha Neunlop, director of Phuket International Airport, Thailand's second-busiest aviation hub.
"All services at the airport are back to normal. Protesters started leaving the airport -- there are not many left now," he told AFP.
Airports in Phuket, Krabi and Hat Yai were forced to close on Friday as protests that have brought chaos to downtown Bangkok spread to tourist spots in the south of the country.
Thousands of protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have barricaded themselves in the grounds of Thailand's main government compound in the capital, demanding that Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej step down.
"Krabi airport resumed normal service since early Sunday morning. The first flight from Bangkok has landed. There are no protesters left since the morning," an airport official there told AFP.
Service at Hat Yai airport resumed on Saturday.
©AFP