Court in Thailand acquits protesters who occupied Bangkok airports in 2008

By JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — A court in Thailand has acquitted more than two dozen protesters who had occupied Bangkok’s two airports in 2008 of charges of rebellion and terrorism related to the demonstration, which at the time disrupted travel in and out of the country for more than a week. The Bangkok Criminal Court declared  on Wednesday that the protesters belonging to the People’ Alliance for Democracy had neither caused destruction at the airports nor hurt anyone. The protesters, popularly known as Yellow Shirts, had occupied the airports for about 10 days, demanding the resignation of the government loyal to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They had earlier also occupied Thaksin’s office compound for three months and blocked access to Parliament.