Thai airport protests called off
Anti-government PAD protesters at the main international airport on hearing that the prime minister would step down
Thai anti-government protesters haveagreed to end their occupation of Bangkok's airports, allowingthousands of stranded tourists to leave.
Passenger flights from the main international airport could resume as soon as 4 December, say correspondents.
Protests had shut down Thailand's two main airports for more than a week.
The deal follows a court ruling that forced Prime MinisterSomchai Wongsawat to step down over election fraud and disbanded hisgoverning party.
The occupation had closed Suvarnabhumiinternational airport and the smaller domestic Don Mueang airport,stranding tens of thousands of foreign tourists and forcing them toscramble for alternative ways home.
Thailand's important tourism industry was crippled and exportsof everything from electronics to fresh food were either stopped or hadto be switched to ships or transported to Malaysia to be flown out.
The leaders of the anti-government People's Alliance forDemocracy (PAD) said all their protests would end from 1000 (0300 GMT)on 3 December.
There are conflicting reports as to when passenger flights fromthe two airports will resume, but they may begin as soon as 4 December,says the BBC's Quentin Sommerville at Suvarnabhumi airport.
Deep splits
The PAD declared victory after the constitutional court's ruling forced the prime minister to step down.
"The People's Alliance for Democracy has agreed to ceaseprotesting after a long-running 192-day campaign," said SondhiLimthongkul, one of the group's leaders.
The nine-judge constitutional court found the People PowerParty (PPP), the Machima Thipatai party and the Chart Thai party guiltyof vote-buying in the last general election, in 2007.
Pro-government protesters outside court show their disappointment
The parties have been ordered to disband and their leaders have been barred from politics for five years.
Most of the PPP's MPs will retain their seats however, and they have said they will regroup and form a new coalition.
They said they would seek a parliamentary vote for a new prime minister on 8 December.
The court's ruling came after months of PAD-led protests that have crippled the political process in Thailand.
They had vowed to continue their protests until the entire government stepped down.
They accused Mr Somchai's administration of being corrupt andhostile to the much-revered monarchy, and too close to ousted formerPrime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The protests had forced a political crisis, revealing deepsplits between the PAD - a loose alliance of royalists, businessmen andthe urban middle class - and government supporters, who draw theirstrength from the rural north and north-east of Thailand.