Foreign govts frustrated by Thai airport siege
BANGKOK, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Australia's foreign minister expressed frustration on Sunday at the closure of Bangkok's international airport and said his government was pressing Thai authorities to do more to get stranded tourists out.
Other foreign governments are increasingly concerned at the closure of Suvarnabhumi airport since Tuesday by political protesters as part of their campaign to topple the government of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. [IDn:LT697926]
Australia's Stephen Smith said hundreds of Australians were still stranded in Thailand and national carrier Qantas (QAN.AX) had offered to put on additional flights to take them home.
"It's very frustrating for us and it's very frustrating for those stranded Australians," he told Australian television.
Qantas said it will operate a special service from Phuket to Singapore on Monday night for Australian tourists stranded in Thailand.
The Thai government is shuttling tourists to U-Tapao, a Vietnam War-era air base 150 km (90 miles) east of Bangkok, as an alternative landing site for airlines, but travellers have complained of long delays and confusion.
Several major Asian carriers have announced special flights to pick up passengers and crew from U-Tapoa or other Thai airports.
China's official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday the first return flights from Thailand reached Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou early on Sunday. Xinhua cited estimates that over 3,500 Chinese tourists have been stranded in Thailand.
The U.S. embassy in Bangkok said it had asked the Thai foreign ministry to provide "appropriate compensation" to U.S. citizens stranded by the closure of Suvarnabhumi and the older Don Muang airport, a big domestic hub.
It said "large numbers" of Americans were unable to leave Thailand and expressed its deep concern to the Thai government.
The European Union also voiced concern in a statement issued in Bangkok by EU ambassadors.
"While respecting the right of protesting and without interfering in any way with the internal political debate in Thailand, the EU considers that these actions are totally inappropriate. They are seriously damaging the international image of Thailand," it said.
"We urge the protesters to evacuate the airports peacefully without delay in order to avoid a major consular crisis and its economic consequences for Thailand," it added.
Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and advised Canadians to stay away from areas where protests were going on, although he noted in a statement that people were free to move around Bangkok.
(Reporting by Alan Raybould; Editing by David Fox and Valerie Lee)
