HONG KONG - A HONG Kong man died in a traffic accident in Thailand as he was trying to find a way out of the country during anti-government protests, a government official said on Monday.

The man was travelling with his wife and four others from Bangkok to Phuket where he was hoping to catch a flight back to Hong Kong, said Hong Kong's permanent secretary for security, Chang King-yiu.

The man's wife was being treated at a hospital in Bangkok following the crash which took place late Sunday night, Mr Chang said.

No other details about the crash were made available.

The couple were among an estimated 100,000 visitors stuck in the country as thousands of anti-government protesters occupied the Thai capital's two airports and other key sites in a bid to topple Somchai Wongsawat's government.

Mr Chang added that the Hong Kong government had chartered two planes to pick up stranded Hong Kong residents in Thailand, and hoped to bring back around 580 visitors on Monday.

The government had said Sunday it did not feel it was necessary to charter flights.

'We have changed our security assessment. We feel it is unlikely that the situation there will improve or settle within the next few days,' Mr Chang told reporters. 'We worry that the violence will escalate.' The government had chartered flights with airlines Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Express to pick up passengers at the U-Tapao military airstrip near Pattaya, about a two-hour drive from Bangkok, Mr Chang said.

Cathay has already arranged two flights since Friday, and had another planned for Tuesday, the airline said in a statement.

The government has received 667 requests for assistance from Hong Kong residents stranded in Thailand, the city's immigration department said in a statement on Sunday.

Demonstrators have allowed dozens of empty planes stranded at the airport to leave in the past two days. -- AFP