Airport Closure Work Of Infiltrators: Phuket Pad

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From The Phuket Gazette:

PHUKET CITY: In a stunning development, the Phuket chapter of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and its affiliate Phuket Watch have denied involvement in the violence and forced closure of Phuket International Airport that left thousands of tourists stranded over the weekend.

At a press conference at the Phuket office of Manager newspaper today, Phuket PAD leader Natjarong Ekpermsup said he and a few hundred other “real” Phuket PAD members were protesting in Bangkok when the airport was stormed and its runway occupied by protesters.

A statement distributed to the press read that a “third party” bent on discrediting PAD and Phuket Watch went to the peaceful PAD protest taking place at the time, infiltrated it and then turned it violent.

Phuket PAD protests were never staged in a way that would harm or negatively affect people’s everyday lives, the statement read.

Third party members in masks and donning the PAD’s trademark yellow shirts were responsible for destroying airport property and preventing tourists from entering or leaving the airport, the statement read.

A local labor union responsible for organizing workers in 12 of Phuket’s 20 union districts told the press conference that many workers decided to join the protest after watching it on television.

Natjarong told the press conference that he suspected that members of groups such as the pro-government National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) may have been among the infiltrators.