TIMELINE: Thailand's political crisis

(Reuters) - Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was banned from politics for five years and his party disbanded on Tuesday, plunging Thailand deeper into crisis, although anti-government protesters said they would end a blockade of Bangkok's airports.

Here is a timeline of the recent political turmoil.

September 2005 - Sondhi Limthongkul, a former business associate of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, starts the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) street campaign to oust Thaksin.

April 2, 2006 - Thaksin wins a snap election called to silence Sondhi. Opposition boycotts poll, court later nullifies result.

September 19 - Military stages a coup while Thaksin is at the United Nations in New York. He flies into exile in London.

October 1 - Former army commander-in-chief Surayud Chulanont is sworn in as interim prime minister.

March 26, 2007 - Thaksin's wife, Potjaman, her brother and secretary are charged with tax evasion.

May 30 - Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party is dissolved for breaking election laws. He and 110 senior party members are banned from politics for five years.

August 20 - Voters endorse a new, military-drafted constitution, the 18th in 75 years of on-off democracy.

December 23 - The pro-Thaksin People Power Party (PPP) falls just short of outright majority in a general election.

January 28, 2008 - PPP leader Samak Sundaravej is elected prime minister.

February 28 - Thaksin returns to Bangkok after 18 months in exile.

May 25 - PAD resumes street protests to overthrow what it says is a "Thaksin puppet government."

July 31 - Potjaman gets a three-year jail term for tax fraud. Freed on bail, she and Thaksin fly to Beijing for Olympics opening ceremony on August 8.

August 11 - Thaksin and wife skip bail and flee to London.

August 26 - Thousands of PAD protesters storm the state broadcaster NBT and Samak's official compound in a bid to unseat his government.