Two arrested in Bangkok protest

Two local residents of a neighbourhood near Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport have been arrested by Thai police after they set off three yipeng paper lanterns into the air nearby the airport.

65-year old Thongbai Sannag and her 32-year old nephew Suchart Chantawong were caught in the act of lighting the hot-air lanterns after air traffic controllers called the police after spotting three of them in the sky, potentially in the flight path of an airplane. Police say at least ten people fled as they arrived, but the two caught explained they were protesting the owners of Suvarnabhumi, Airports of Thailand and their unpaid compensation packages from when the airport was first built.

The deputy transport minister warned that "The country could be painted in a negative light and the lives of innocent air passengers put on the line," and urged protesters to desist such activity. Nonetheless, AoT said it would look at the cases in question, as many residents feel under-compensated for the noise pollution created by the international airport.