Thai Police Take First Steps to Enforce State of Emergency and End Airport Protests
泰抗议者占曼谷机场警方吁其撤离

　 
Thai police have called for anti-government protesters to vacate the main airports in Bangkok, which the group seized earlier this week. The government has declared a state of emergency around the airports.

泰国警方呼吁反政府示威民众撤离曼谷的主要机场。这些人本星期早些时候占领了这些机场。泰国政府已经宣布曼谷周围的机场地区进入紧急状态。

Thousands of anti-government protesters occupying the international and domestic airports in the capital were bracing Friday against efforts by security forces to end the occupation.

数以千计占据了泰国首都曼谷的国际机场和国内机场的反政府抗议民众星期五准备抵制安全部队试图结束他们占领行动的努力。

Leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy on Friday said they remain determined to press on with the protest despite the threat of police action and a growing loss of public support.

人民民主联盟的领袖星期五说，尽管受到警方采取行动的威胁，而且他们也越来越丧失民心，他们仍然决心继续坚持抗议。

The police say they want to negotiate with the PAD, but it is possible they will use force to clear the terminals. There is concern about violence, particularly because there are children among the protesters.

警方说，他们希望和人民民主联盟谈判，但是他们有可能采用武力将抗议者赶出机场。人们担心发生暴力，尤其因为抗议者中还有孩子。

Sunai Pasuk, the Thai representative for Human Rights Watch, says the government realizes the world is watching the situation.

"No one I believe in the outside world and the majority of the Thai public - no one is siding with the PAD. [But] they don't want to see a massacre at Don Muang and Suvanabhumi airport. The police need to take incremental steps," he said.

他说：“我相信外界和大多数泰国公众都不支持人民民主联盟。但是人们不愿意看到曼谷廊曼机场发生屠杀。警方需要采取渐进步骤。”

Sunai says the government is offering the PAD an exit strategy by allowing the alliance to return to the government house compound which it seized in late August.

苏奈说，政府向人民民主联盟提出一项撤离方案，允许他们撤回到他们曾经在8月下旬占领的政府办公场所。

"If they want to continue the protest - well go ahead - and this is a very deliberate decision not to declare a state of emergency at the government house as well. The government has thought through very carefully this time by providing an exit and if the PAD still refuses to take this opportunity then things can get [a] little ugly," he said.

苏奈说：“如果他们希望继续抗议，那就继续抗议，当局经过深思熟虑决定不宣布政府办公地点也进入紧急状态。泰国政府这次经过周密全面的考虑为抗议者提供了一条出路，如果人民民主联盟还是拒绝接受这个机会，那情况就可能有点糟糕了。”

Thousands of travelers have been stranded by the protest, which is costing the economy millions of dollars in lost revenue. The airport blockades particularly hurt the tourism industry, a cornerstone of the Thai economy.

几千名旅客由于这次抗议而滞留当地，给泰国经济带来几百万美元的损失。封锁机场尤其损害旅游业，而旅游业是泰国经济的支柱。

The government is using airports just outside Bangkok to move passengers, but only a limited number of flights have taken off. Efforts also are under way to transport up to five thousand Thai Muslims traveling to Saudi Arabia for the Haj.

On Thursday Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat declared a state of emergency at the airports. He has rejected calls by the military and the PAD for him to resign.

星期四泰国总理颂猜宣布机场地区进入紧急状态。他拒绝接受军方和人民民主联盟要他辞职的要求。

Around the city this week there have been sporadic outbursts of violence between the PAD and government supporters. An anti-government TV station and a pro-government community radio station have suffered attacks.

Naishinawatra Parboonpart is the manager of the community radio station, run by a taxi radio service. He expects police to move against the PAD protest later Friday.

He says extra police have been brought in from the provinces and they will move quickly and once the airports are reopened it will be better for the nation.

The PAD accuses Mr. Somchai of acting as a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who fled Thailand in August in the face of corruption charges. He was ousted in a coup two years ago.

人民民主联盟指控颂猜是前总理他信的代理人。他信由于面临腐败指控，在8月逃离泰国。他信两年前在一次政变中被罢免。

Many Thais speculate that the military may stage a coup, although senior military officers have denied it plans to unseat the government. Pro-Thaksin supporters have vowed to challenge the army if there is a coup.

亲他信的支持者表示，如果发生政变，他们会坚决对抗泰国军方。