This afternoon the Constitution Court banned Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from politics for five years and dissolved the ruling People Power party (PPP) and two other coalition parties, Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya, over voting fraud cases.  As the court unanimously decided to dissolve the PPP, therefore the leader of the party and party executives must be banned from politics for five years.  

 

The verdict came amid a confrontation between Somchai, the brother-in-law of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, and anti-government protesters occupying Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.

 

Somchai was elected by parliament on September 17 after his predecessor, Samak

Sundaravej, was forced from office last month for appearing in television cooking shows.
The court banned 109 PPP, Chart Thai and Matchimathipataya executives from politics for five years. 

 

Airports of Thailand (AOT) and The People’s Alliance for Democracy(PAD) agreed in principle today at 3:30 pm to reopen services at the SuvarnabhumiInternationalAirport after AOT technical officials check technical readiness of all systems and would try to resume services within 24 hours. 

However the PAD will not end its demonstration there and would allocate a zone for its demonstration to continue without effecting the passengers.