Protesters hand over Bangkok airport

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) movement officially handed over control of the airport after an eight-day siege which has left 350,000 travellers stranded in Thailand and caused massive economic losses.

The exodus began a day after the movement claimed victory in its campaign against Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, when a court barred the premier from politics and disbanded the ruling party.

"Major General Chamlong had a handover ceremony of the airport to Airports of Thailand," said protest leader Somkiat Pongpaibul, referring to PAD co-founder Chamlong Srimuang.

"From now the protesters will start to leave. Some of them have started to leave since this morning and gone home. We will come back when the nation needs us," he said.

Chamlong hugged and shook hands with Airports of Thailand boss Vudhibhandhu  Vichairatana, witnesses said, before bowing down and paying his respects in front of a portrait of Thailand's much-revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Vudhibhandhu said a domestic Thai Airways flight from the southern tourist town of Phuket would land at Suvarnabhumi airport on Wednesday afternoon, while international flights would resume the next day.

He said the first international departure would be a Thai Airways flight to Rome.

"We will try and get everything back to normal as soon as possible," he told reporters at the airport. 

Damage from the occupation of the airport since November 25 had not yet been estimated, he said.

An AFP correspondent saw hundreds of protesters piling their belongings on private vehicles, cabs and coaches before driving away from the gleaming three-billion-dollar facility.

"I am looking forward to sleeping in my home, but everybody came here because they love the king," said Neepirom Kunniam, 58, wearing the movement's trademark yellow clothes, which symbolise devotion to the monarchy.

A line of hundreds of protesters snaked through the departures area early Wednesday as they got autographs from Chamlong and his PAD co-founder Sondhi Limthongkul.

Former ruling party members have vowed to form another government under a new banner after the toppling of Somchai, who was barred from politics for five years by the Constitutional Court in a vote fraud case.

Protesters accused Somchai's administration of acting as a proxy for exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006, and of being hostile to the monarchy.

The PAD are backed by the Bangkok business elite and middle classes, along  with elements in the military and the palace.

"In the next two weeks I think we will come again," said protester Pas Apinantpreeda.

"We have got a reason to leave, in the next two days we have the ki ng's birthday and we don't want any problems for him. But I think the ruling party will collaborate to make a new government, we cannot accept that," he said.

PAD protests led to the coup which toppled Thaksin and the group took to the streets again in May this year. Somchai's predecessor, Samak Sundaravej, was forced out in September for receiving payment for a TV cooking show.

The king celebrates his birthday on Friday and is due to make a speech a day earlier.

Analysts said the developments would bring a brief respite until the  remnants of the government tried to name a new premier in parliament, probably on December 8, but would not solve the kingdom's underlying problems.

Somchai's party said it was ready to move lawmakers into a different shell party and continue administering the country, and the other coalition parties have vowed to back them.