Thai Crisis Deepens as Airport Siege Intensifies

If found guilty, the parties would be dissolved and Somchai and 23 other lawmakers could be barred from politics for five years. Somchai's removal from office would bring down his government, but other members of his dissolved party would be free to join other parties and form a new government.

Tourists queue up at a temporary check-in counter set up at a hotel in downtown Bangkok, Thailand...

Tourists queue up at a temporary check-in counter set up at a hotel in downtown Bangkok, Thailand Monday, Dec. 1, 2008. The tourists were stranded in the country after anti-government protesters occupied Bangkok's main airports, the Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports in their protest last week. Tourists are to fly from U-Tapao airport, south of Bangkok. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)

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"The protesters will achieve (their) objective if the court dissolves the ruling parties and the government falls," said Chamlong.

However, a ruling against Somchai is also likely to intensify divisions in the country. Somchai's supporters are already expressing their displeasure at the possibility of a guilty verdict.

It would be a "coup in disguise," said Veera Musikapong, a pro-government leader.

"This is a coordinated effort to overthrow the government. It looks like justice is being done but it's nothing more than a hidden coup," he said.

Meanwhile, Thailand's economy has suffered immensely.

Fitch Ratings on Monday forecast that the economy will grow by 0.9 percent in 2009, which would be its slowest rate since the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis.

"It is a concern that, in the absence of effective and credible political leadership, economic policy could be either neglected or ineffective at a time when policy stimulus is likely required," said Vincent Ho, an associate director at Fitch.

Kongrit Hiranyakit, head of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said over 300,000 travelers were stranded in Thailand, with 35,000 to 45,000 being added each day the airports remained closed. Thousands of others trying to enter Thailand from around the world are also stuck.

Stranded travelers are driving hundreds of kilometers (miles) to other airports such as Chiang Mai and Phuket in the south to leave the country.

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Associated Press reporters Ambika Ahuja, Jocelyn Gecker and Mick Elmore contributed to this report.

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