This article is more than 11 years old

This article is more than 11 years old

The Thai government today rejected calls from the country's powerful army chief to dissolve parliament and call a new election because of escalating anti-government protests.

The crisis deepened as a pro-government gang shot dead an opposition protester in the northern province of Chiang Mai.

The embattled prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat, was due to address the nation on television but this was cancelled at the last minute.

The shot man, whose son ran a small anti-government radio station, was dragged by the gang from his car and executed, police Lieutenant Colonel Atipol Thongdaeng told Reuters.

The army chief, General Anupong Paochina, urged the government to step down and called for a withdrawal by demonstrators who shut down the country's main airport, leaving thousands of tourists stranded.

Nattawut Saikuar, a government spokesman, said: "The prime minister has said many times that he will not quit or dissolve parliament because he has been democratically elected. That still stands."

Somchai returned to Thailand today after an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru and is due to have an audience with King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Thai media reported that Somchai landed at a military airport in the north of the country. His flight had to be rerouted and his handlers were careful not to give details of his destination. Reports said he might declare a state of emergency in Bangkok.

The demonstrators, from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), rejected Anupong's demands. A spokesman, Suriyasai Katasila, said the group would meet later to decide its next steps.

"But right now, our demand remains the same. If the government does not quit, we will not quit," he said. The group has rejected a government offer of talks to end the airport blockade. It is insisting Somchai resign first.

At a news conference outlining a four-point plan to end the turmoil, Anupong repeated his view that a military coup would not resolve the deepening turmoil in Thailand.

"We are not pressuring the government," Anupong said. "The government should give the public a chance to decide in a fresh election. If a coup could end all the troubles, I would do it. It is not going to resolve anything."

Anupong was constantly pressed at a news conference on what he would do if neither side heeded his calls, but would only say that he had set his mind against using force.

There has been speculation that the government might sack Anupong for calling on the Somchai government quit.

Last month, Anupong and the heads of the navy, air force and police used a prime time television interview to say Somchai should have stood down after bloody clashes between police and PAD protesters outside parliament.

Reuters reported that sources within a pro-government protest group had said if Somchai quit they would regard it as a coup and immediately launch anti-military demonstrations. "There will be war for sure," one senior member of the anti-PAD Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship told the news agency.

If a fresh election went ahead, it is likely that a pro-Thaskin government would return due to the continuing support for Thaskin in the countryside and among the urban poor.

Such a result would be unpalatable to the PAD as the current administration, sending the entire crisis back to square one unless anti-government demonstrators pledged to honour the result.

Thousands of overseas passengers were stranded at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport today when all flights were halted because of an invasion by the protesters.

Thai Airways rerouted 16 inbound flights to the old airport at Don Muang, while many other airlines cancelled services.

A grenade was thrown at PAD protesters manning a checkpoint on the road to the airport. Two more were tossed at protesters guarding roads to Bangkok's second airport, injuring three people.

At one point about 50 masked demonstrators demanded access to Suvarnabhumi's control tower to check the flight schedule in the belief that Somchai might consider landing there.

The PAD vanguard - brandishing iron bars and wearing goggles and hard-hats - last night pushed through lines of riot police who were ordered not to use violence after two protesters were killed by faulty tear gas canisters ilast month.

The pro-government Democratic Alliance responded to the action by saying it would launch its own street action. "What they (PAD) have done are terrorist acts," said Jatuporn Prompan, a ruling party politician who is the Alliance leader.

The airport, an important regional hub, handles around 700 flights each day and almost 40 million passengers a year. Serirat Prasutanont, the airport director, said: "This incident has damaged Thailand's reputation and its economy beyond repair."

Thousands of demonstrators, mostly sporting yellow shirts or armbands in allegiance to the revered king, settled in the departure area or milled about the check-in desks as their comrades blockaded roads to and from the airport.

Around 3,000 stranded and bemused passengers were given food handouts by the demonstrators, who apologised for the inconvenience and attempted to explain their motivation.

Many passangers were angry and some scared, fearing a confrontation, particularly after a squad of riot police came to the outside of the terminal building at around 5am.

For most, the source of their outrage was their airlines' inability to tell them what was happening or when their flights might depart. Some were fearful of going to a hotel in case they missed their plane.