For all the investment in perimeter fences, screening technologies and manpower, recent events at both the major airports in Thailand's capital and international gateway, Bangkok, have demonstrated that there is a limit to what can be achieved by security agencies in maintaining a safe, secure operating environment. In sharp contrast to the razzmatazz surrounding the opening of the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport two years ago, the recent images emerging from the Land of Smiles portray the delicate balance between peaceful protest and anarchy. Philip Baum, in London and Aaron Le Boutillier, in Singapore, report on how Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports became the stage for anti-government demonstrations and the implications therof for aviation security.