Thai protesters force Asia summit cancellation

Source: Reuters

A summit of Asian leaders in Thailand was cancelled on Saturday after anti-government protesters breeched security and swarmed into the media centre at the hotel complex where it was being held.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency in Pattaya, where the East Asia Summit was being, a beach resort about 150 kms (90 miles) south of the capital, Bangkok.

"The task for me and the government now is to provide security for the leaders to travel back home safely," Abhisit said in a brief address on television.

The cancellation is a huge embarrassment for Abhisit's government, which came to power in December via parliamentary defections the opposition says were engineered by the military.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/UKNews1/idUKTRE53A06P20090411

Source: Reuters

PATTAYA, Thailand (Reuters) - About half of the Asian leaders in Thailand for a summit were on Saturday evacuated by helicopter from the conference venue, Thailand's foreign ministry spokesman said.

"About half of them were evacuated by helicopter," Tharit Charungvat said.

The summit was cancelled after anti-government protesters breached security and stormed the media centre adjacent to the venue.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKTRE53A0ND20090411

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Thai protests cancel Asian summit

Source: BBC

A summit of Asian leaders in Thailand has been postponed after anti-government protesters broke into the venue in the resort of Pattaya.

PM Abhisit Vejjajiva has declared an "extreme state of emergency" in Pattaya, and said his priority was to ensure the leaders got home safely.

Several leaders from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) have now been airlifted from the area.

Thailand has been in turmoil, with the opposition demanding fresh elections.

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says Thais have spent months organising the summit, but security around the venue collapsed in a matter of hours as thousands pushed their way through the police cordon.

It is a humiliation for the government, our correspondent says. He adds that it raises questions over whether the deep divisions that have emerged in Thai society are also damaging morale in the police and the army.

'Lorries and taxis'
The meeting was due to get into full swing on Saturday before concluding on Sunday with a summit due to include India, Australia and New Zealand.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7994465.stm



A summit meeting of South East Asian leaders in Thailand has been
cancelled after anti-government protesters stormed the summit
venue in the resort of Pattaya.



Protesters managed to push their way into the conference centre,
despite a heavy police presence.



Delegates were evacuated by helicopter due to security concerns
after the Thai Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, declared a state
of emergency.



The red-shirted protesters - supporters of ousted leader Thaksin
Shinawatra - have been demanding the resignation of Mr Abhisit and
other senior Thai officials perceived as hostile to Mr Thaksin.



The BBC correspondent in Thailand says that the failure of security
forces to hold back protesters is a humiliation for the government and
highlights deep divisions in Thai society.

Photos from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7994619.stm

In Thailand, as in Latin America, the political turmoil going on now is class warfare. The rich stole power from the working classes and the working classes want it back.

more balanced than most, thanks for posting.

Hopefully Thailand, with it's Buddhist underpinnings, can resolve this without masssive violence. Still, Thaksin has basically declared war on the Monarchy, and that is going to divide the country. There are even divisions within the Royal Family.

PRIME MINISTER Kevin Rudd's flight to Thailand was turned around last night when protesters stormed the five-star hotel that was hosting the East Asia Summit, forcing the Thai Government to cancel the meeting. "The Australian Government has been informed by the Government of Thailand that the East Asia Summit has been postponed," a spokesman for Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard said. "As a result, the Australian Prime Minister is now returning to Australia."

Mr Rudd was expected to arrive back in Australia early this morning.

In an embarrassing setback for new Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, hundreds of "red shirt" activists who oppose his Government breached security for the second day running, smashing through several glass doors at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort and running through the resort, waving Thai flags and chanting slogans.

Pattaya, a seedy seaside resort town 150 kilometres from Bangkok, had been tense all day, with pro-Government supporters in blue garb facing off against their red-shirted rivals. The blue shirts carried steel pipes, golf clubs and planks of wood and were watched from a distance by Thai police and military personnel.

More: http://www.smh.com.au/world/red-shirts-bust-up-summit-20090411-a3f5.html?page=-1