Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat called an urgent cabinet meeting after demonstrators seized Suvarnabhumi international airport on Tuesday night and blockaded the old Don Mueang airport early Thursday.

"The government has agreed to declare a state of emergency in two particular areas, at Don Mueang Airport and in Bangpli district... where Suvarnabhumi is located," the minister, who asked not to be named, told AFP.