<div><p>Several thousand Britons remain trapped in Thailand, the Foreign Office said Monday calling airlines to help fly them out and urging a "systematic approach not a symbolic one."</p><p>The Foreign Office has come under pressure to organise a charter to bring Britons home, but London wants airlines to do more to help those who have paid for tickets but cannot use them because of the crisis in Bangkok.</p><p>Junior foreign minister Bill Rammell said a number of airlines were laying on extra flights, but urged others to help bring home holidaymakers and others stuck in the country.</p><p>"Several thousand British travellers remain stranded in Bangkok. Our priorities are to ensure their immediate welfare and to find ways of ending their uncertainty and helping them get home," he said in a statement.</p><p>"The only way such large numbers of people can leave Bangkok for their homes is through cooperation between governments, airlines and tour providers. We need a systematic approach not a symbolic one."</p><p>Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official explained: "The point is that we have so many British nationals there that realistically chartering one plane is not going to get them all back."</p><p>Rammell said the Foreign Office was talking to all the major airlines and tour operators with British ticket holders.</p><p>"They are working with our support to provide additional flights from alternative airports," he said, noting extra Qantas flights from Phuket, and an Emirates flight from Chiang Mai Monday evening with over 100 Britons on board.</p><p>"We understand Gulf Air, Malaysian Airways, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific and Silk Airways are also laying on additional flights, mainly out of Phuket. We will be looking to the other airlines and tour operators to do likewise."</p><p>A senior tourism official in Bangkok said Monday that an estimated 350,000 passengers have been unable to fly out of Thailand since anti-government protesters shut down Bangkok's two airports last week.</p><img src="http://admatch-syndication.mochila.com/images/ad.gif?aid=38012332&bid=informcom" /></div><div id="copyright"><div>

Copyright 2008  <a href="http://www.afp.com/english/links/?pid=copyright">AFP European Edition</a></div></div>