Wellington - New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced Tuesday that he had ordered an air force transport plane to fly to South-east Asia in preparation for a mercy mission to rescue New Zealanders stranded in Bangkok.
Key told a news conference that the Hercules C130 would go to Singapore or Malaysia on Wednesday and be put on stand by to fly to the Thai military airbase of U-Tapao, about 150 kilometres east of Bangkok.
He said he was not satisfied that up to 300 New Zealanders believed to be stranded by the anti-government protest which has closed Bangkok's international airport for a week would be able to leave by commercial carriers.
Wellington - New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced Tuesday that he had ordered an air force transport plane to fly to South-East Asia in preparation for a mercy mission to rescue New Zealanders stranded in Bangkok.
Key told a news conference that the Hercules C130 would go to Singapore or Malaysia on Wednesday and be put on standby to fly to the Thai military airbase of U-Tapao, about 150 kilometres east of Bangkok.
Bangkok - Hundreds of pro-government demonstrators wearing red shirts and carrying clubs rallied against the convening of the Thai Constituion Court Tuesday to prevent the reading of a verdict expected to lead to political changes and perhaps more turmoil.
The nine judges on the case shifted the trial to the Administrative Court building in northern Bangkok to avoid a gathering of the pro-government Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD), who had planned to gather outside the Constitution Court in an effort to block the verdict.
Even so, the Administrative Court was quickly surrounded by more than 1,000 DAAD members. The court was under the protection of Thai Army troops armed with M16 rifles.
Bangkok - A bomb blast early Tuesday at a Bangkok airport occupied by anti-government demonstrators killed one person, protestors said.
The explosion at Don Mueang Airport set off panic in the occupied terminal building, where 22 people were wounded by flying glass caused by the device, the Thai newspaper Nation reported on its website.
The airport has been occupied, preventing flights, since Thursday by protestors demanding the ouster of the current government.
Bangkok - Thai shares lost 2.72 per cent of their value Monday on a combined whammy from heightening political instability and worldwide worries.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) index ended at 390.92, down 10.92 points or 2.72 perr cent.
"A combination of growing political instability in Thailand and falls on regional markets was dragging us down today," said Phuwadol Larpudomsuk, an analyst at Asia Plus Securities.
Bangkok - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services on Monday downgraded its outlook on Thailand's sovereign credit from stable to "negative," in response to Bangkok's two airports being closed down by anti-government protestors for almost a week.
"The recent occupation of the two airports in Bangkok by anti-government protestors has increased the risks to sovereign creditworthiness," said Standard & Poor's Singapore-based credit analyst Kim Eng Tan.
Tan said the closure of the airports had caused serious disruption to the economy and "raises the possibility of widespread violence markedly."
Wellington - New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced Tuesday that he had ordered an air force transport plane to fly to South-East Asia in preparation for a mercy mission to rescue New Zealanders stranded in Bangkok.
Bangkok - A bomb blast early Tuesday at a Bangkok airport occupied by anti-government demonstrators killed one person, protestors said.
Bangkok - Thai shares lost 2.72 per cent of their value Monday on a combined whammy from heightening political instability and worldwide worries.
Bangkok - Standard & Poor's Ratings Services on Monday downgraded its outlook on Thailand's sovereign credit from stable to "negative," in response to Bangkok's two airports being closed down by anti-government protestors for almost a week. 
