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Local Thai community leaders met their country's representatives in Auckland last night, asking that a "unified apology" be issued to Kiwis who had been stranded in Bangkok for the inconvenience they faced.
It was unfair for New Zealand travellers to have been made to suffer for Thailand's local political situation, said the head of Thai NZ Culture Society, Maneeka Campbell, who initiated the call for an apology.
"As a Thai person, I feel totally ashamed and embarrassed at what has happened, and I pray that it has not done a permanent damage to the good image of Thailand as a land of smiles for Kiwis," said Mrs Campbell.
Anti-Government protesters had shut Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports, stranding 300,000 travellers - which dealt a serious blow to the Thai economy..
Ms Campbell said about 100 Thai community leaders discussed the apology at the Thai King's birthday celebrations at a hotel last night.
Massage therapist Wattana Somporn said one month after the New Zealand election, politics will again be at the forefront of discussions for the local Thai community when they gather at Mt Albert War Memorial Hall to celebrate the King's birthday on Sunday.
"We are very worried about the situation in Bangkok," Ms Wattana said. "Although I feel sorry for the Kiwis and other travellers, they can choose not to visit Thailand. But for us immigrants, ongoing turmoil and unrest could mean losing our links with family and loved ones."
Meanwhile, Thai Airways' direct flights from Auckland to Bangkok could resume by Sunday following the reopening of the international airport.
"We are awaiting instructions from head office, but will not rule out recommencing our flights on Sunday," a spokeswoman said.
On Wednesday night, a Thai Airways plane from Phuket became the first plane to touch down at Bangkok's main Suvarnabhumi airport followed shortly by the first international flight, a Royal Jordanian airliner from Amman. Cargo and domestic flights to the capital also resumed early yesterday morning, but Thai airport officials said it would be at least December 15 before full operations could resume.
Protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) had shut down two Bangkok airports in a campaign to bring down the Somchai Government, which they accuse of being a corrupt proxy of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra. A court forced the dissolution of the ruling coalition parties after finding them guilty of vote fraud, and barring Somchai Wongsawat from politics.
Thailand's Parliament will convene on Monday or Tuesday to elect a new premier, and some PAD members warned that if another Thaksin "nominee" was chosen as premier, the barricades at the airport would be up again.
"The King is the only real leader in Thailand, and unless the new prime minister is appointed by him, protests are likely to be resumed by either the pro-Thaksin or anti-Thaksin supporters," said Pramaha Chaovna Ngamsangguanprapa, an Auckland-based Thai monk.
A "national unity" government is being suggested to get around the conflict, but the outgoing Government is unlikely to agree to any move to accommodate the PAD's demand for a semi-appointed, rather than an elected Parliament. Members of the royalist PAD say respect for the King was one of the reasons for them quitting the airport, so the possibility of renewed tension next week remains very real.
Grandmother heading home
Lensie Deane, the New Zealand grandmother trapped in Bangkok, was due to start making her way out of Thailand last night.
Mrs Deane, 72, whose plight featured on the front page of Wednesday's Herald, praised the efforts of New Zealand Embassy staff to get her out of the city.
She said Gayle-Ann Traill, the wife of embassy official Grant Traill, organised a car to take her on the 12-hour journey to Phuket, where she was put on a Qantas flight to Singapore.
She will get back to Auckland tomorrow.
Mrs Deane praised Mrs Traill, saying without her "I'd be stuck here indefinitely, it seems".
