Pattaya: Anti-government protesters stormed a convention centre in Pattaya where leaders of Asian nations were to meet on Saturday for their most important multilateral summit, smashing doors and searching room by room for the prime minister.
Thailand's government cancelled the summit and airlifted the leaders by helicopter from the seaside city.
The red-shirted protesters, who were calling for the resignation of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, declared victory and walked away from the complex after about an hour.
"We have won. We have stopped them from holding a summit," Jakrapob Penkair, one of the protest leaders, said in the capital, Bangkok. "But we have not achieved our goal yet. We will continue to protest in Bangkok until Abhisit resigns."
Abhisit, who has repeatedly refused to step down, went on national television and declared a state of emergency in the area surrounding the summit, but revoked it about six hours later after the leaders left safely.
The summit was supposed to bring together the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
The chaos raises the threat of violence and a possible confrontation between the military and the protesters.
Earlier on Saturday, thousands of supporters loyal to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra barged past lines of soldiers and riot police, smashing their way through the glass doors at the venue for the Asean summit.
They streamed into the building and through the media centre, astonishing dozens of journalists as they rampaged towards an adjacent building where leaders were holding a luncheon.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva quickly appeared on live television, telling the country that the summit of 16 Asian nations was cancelled because of the protesters, who are demanding his resignation.
He also called a state of emergency for Pattaya and the surrounding province to assist the immediate evacuation of the visiting heads of state.
Abhisit was the first to fly out of town through a helicopter, followed by leaders of the Philippines, Myanmar and Vietnam. Other leaders left by road but were swiftly evacuated.
With the state of emergency in place, the military now have the right to restore order, and authorities can ban public gatherings and bar the media from reporting news that "causes panic."
What can a government do to ensure a happy nation? Can an aggressive approach and violence on part of the people guarantee and affective governance in the long run?
Your comments
This is a wake up call for the prime minister. I think he needs to heal the nation's wounds first before projecting to the world that Thailand is politically stable in hosting this summit. However, this is what the freedom is all about. The government should always be for the people interests.
Erwin
Dubai,UAE
Posted: April 12, 2009, 09:35
