3K Stranded in Bangkok as PM Refuses to Step Down

Thailand’s government today rejected a top general’s demand it dissolve parliament and hold elections, the Guardian reports, as protesters demand that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat step down entirely. Wongsawat snuck back into Thailand today and plans to meet with the king, whom protesters support; a pro-government gang killed an opposition member in a clash in the northern province of Chiang Mai.

Meanwhile, at least 3,000 travelers are stuck in Bangkok, where demonstrators have full control of the airport, the BBC reports. Tourists spent 13 hours in a lounge before they were evacuated to nearby hotels. “The scene was very scary, very hairy,” one passenger says. (More Bangkok stories.)