Taxi drivers blocked roads to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport

During the evening of 2 October 2008, taxi drivers, angry with police officers who arrested them for violating transportation regulations, blocked roads to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (VTBS/BKK). Due to the blockages, passengers were forced to disembark from their vehicles and walk to the terminals. The drivers stated that they were not required to use meters to travel outside of the city limits of Bangkok due to the stipulations set in place by ground transport regulations; however, police officers responded by clarifying that while there is a specific rate for taxis traveling outside of the city limits, many taxis were found to have charged passengers exorbitant fees, not following guidelines set in place by the regulations. While negotiations were underway, the drivers demanded that they be allowed to negotiate their fees with passengers. Other reports from taxi drivers indicated that the reason for the protest was that police officers were demanding that the drivers pay a fee to a "gang" to which a police officer belongs, or they would be arrested