Thousands stranded in the siege of Bangkok airport

Thailand's embattled government is fighting for its life after thousands of anti-democracy protesters seized the country's main airport and the head of the army called on the prime minister to dissolve the parliament and hold new elections.

In the latest twist following months of turmoil, all flights in and out of Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok were cancelled. Dozens of masked protesters armed with metal rods stormed the control tower and thousands of travellers were stranded. Opposition activists from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) called their demonstration – which is potentially devastating to Thailand's tourism industry – "Hiroshima".

Last night, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat rejected a call from General Anupong Paochinda, the head of the army, to call a snap election. In a televised address, Mr Somchai said his government had earned its position through a democratic election and would not stand down. "My position is not important, but democratic values are," added Mr Somchai, who hours earlier returned from an official visit overseas and found his flight diverted to Chiang Mai in the north.

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Earlier, General Anupong said the army had no intention of carrying out what would be the country's 19th coup in 50 years. He repeated his suggestion – made, he said, as a recommendation and not as a demand – for a new ballot. "The government should give the public a chance to decide in a fresh election," he said after meeting government and opposition leaders. Last night, a glimmer of hope for Mr Somchai and his beleaguered administration appeared in the form of a court ruling that ordered the PAD protesters to leave the airport. Having previously said that General Anupong's demand for new elections was insufficient and that the Prime Minister should resign unconditionally, it remained to be seen how the PAD would respond to the Bangkok Civil Court's injunction. "Dissolving parliament does not solve the problem ... We do not want Somchai's government, even as acting government before a fresh election is called," said Suriyasai Katasila, an opposition spokesman.

Police said a gang of Mr Somchai's supporters shot dead an anti-government activist in Chiang Mai, and several opposition members blockading the road to Bangkok airport were hurt by a series of small bomb blasts. Yesterday's drama follows months of political turmoil in Thailand that have seen thousands of demonstrators regularly bring parts of the capital to a standstill. Determined to bring down what it says is a corrupt government that allegedly still takes orders from the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the PAD has called for nothing less than an overhaul of Thai politics. That does not mean, however, that it wants more democracy – the conservative coalition would actually prefer to see a portion of the country's MPs appointed rather than elected in a public vote.

Giles Ji Ungpakorn, a professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, said the PAD wanted a dictatorship to replace democracy because "they deem the majority of the Thai electorate are too ignorant to deserve the right to vote". He added: "How did PAD thugs manage to seize Bangkok international airport? Airports are supposed to be high security areas. Thai airports are controlled by the Thai military."

Of pressing concern to many Thais will be the impact the unrest will have on tourism. The closure of one of Asia's busiest airports, with thousands of holidaymakers having to be bused to hotels, comes at the height of the season. Tourism accounts for 6 per cent of Thailand's economy and has already been hit by the global financial crisis and six months of unrest.

Another day in paradise: The Britons trying to get home

Hundreds of British tourists spent 14 hours trapped inside Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport after checking in for late-night flights to the UK on Tuesday. Finlay Smith, 46, who had been travelling in the south of Thailand, arrived at 9pm to catch a Thai Airways flight to London. "I could see a throng of people in yellow shirts shouting and jumping up and down, but they just looked a bit like football fans," said Mr Smith, from Glasgow.

After passing through security, he sat in the departure lounge awaiting announcements as the hours ticked by. "People were sleeping on cardboard boxes, blankets – whatever," said Mr Findlay.

Emily Watkins, 30, a pub owner from Kingham, Oxfordshire, was stranded as she transferred from a domestic flight from Phuket to her international flight to London. "We were given water but food ran out quickly," she said. "I went to Boots to get Imodium and Nurofen for people feeling unwell and there were mums needing baby formula. The staff were clearing everything off the shelves. It was then I realised we were going to be there for some time."

Stranded travellers were frightened by news of explosions outside. "There were televisions with reports about grenades going off, which was pretty scary," added Ms Watkins. "I suspect the protesters did not want us to panic so the channel was changed to Buddhist chanting." She added: "You might talk about the Blitz spirit – nonsense. We were just fed up."

After detaining passengers in the terminal for 14 hours, officials finally took the decision to move them out at noon yesterday. Tourists complained of a frightening evacuation to buses, through a gauntlet of protesters. Mr Smith played it down, saying "it wasn't the last days of Saigon", but he and the other Britons face the problem of how to get out of Thailand. The protesters show no signs of ending their sit-in.

Some tourists plan to hire cars and drive 740 miles to catch onward flights from Kuala Lumpur in neighbouring Malaysia. But most have checked back into their hotels and extended their stay with more delight than anger.

Oliver Wright and Henry Deedes