Thai protesters abduct police officer at Bangkok int'l airport

Anti-government protesters occupying Thailand's international airport seized a police officer, escalating tensions in a four-day standoff that appeared headed for a violent confrontation Saturday. The trouble started after about 1,000 demonstrators moved in on a police checkpoint near the Suvarnabhumi international airport, triggering a showdown that ended without violence when officers hastily withdrew. One policeman remained, however, and Associated Press reporters saw him being grabbed by three protesters, forcibly put in a vehicle, and driven away toward the airport controlled by the demonstrators. It was not immediately known if the officer was still being held.