Red Shirts at ASEAN Summit in Pattaya

[Richard Barrow]

Thai television are showing live pictures of red shirts on the streets of Pattaya. Estimates at the moment are 1-2,000. In the tv pictures I only saw less than one hundred. They are there to disrupt the ASEAN summit.

[Richard Barrow]

A different story from The Nation...

No sign of red shirts in Pattaya

There has been no unusual activities ahead of today's Asean Summit and Related Summits in Pattaya, deputy national police chief General Viroj Phaholphaet said on Friday. Viroj said police set up seven to eight road checkpoints in all entry points at Pattaya. If the red shirts try to stage a rally, police would reason with them to uphold the country's reputation, he said. Security has been beefed up following a threat by the red shirts to rally and block access to the venue of the summit meeting. he combined police and military forces have doubled to 8,000 and some 5,000 local residents have volunteered to report if they detect the red shirts entering the vicinity of the seaside resort. A group of 300 city police have been deployed to assist in keeping peace.

The Nation

[Richard Barrow]

Thai protesters gather to disrupt Asian summit
Thu Apr 9, 2009 10:20pm EDT
By Martin Petty

PATTAYA, Thailand (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters converged on the Thai beach town of Pattaya on Friday with plans to disrupt an Asian summit as part of efforts to try to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to step down. Close to 1,000 red shirt clad demonstrators gathered in a parking lot several kilometers (miles) from the hotel and conference complex where the summit was to be held, and more were arriving by bus from the Thai capital Bangkok and other areas. They planned to march on the complex later in the day. Security forces around the summit venue in Pattaya have been doubled to 8,000 after red-shirt demonstrators threatened to stage protests in the resort town. Despite possible disruptions, the 16 heads of state planning to attend were still confirmed for the event, Thailand's Channel 3 television reported. "This government has no right to be at this summit. It is not Thailand's representative and we cannot accept it. This is the government of the army," Nopporn Namchiangtai, a protest speaker, told Reuters. "We have nothing against this summit, but if we have to stop it we will."

[Richard Barrow]

PM arrives in Pattaya by helicopter
By: BangkokPost.com
Published: 10/04/2009 at 11:02 AM

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva arrived at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort hotel in Pattaya on Friday morning to attend the 14th Asean Summit and related summits. His helicopter landed about 10.30am as red-shirt protesters were marching from North Pattaya towards the hotel in South Pattaya. The protesters were led by group leader and singer Arismun Pongruengrong. The protesters planned to try and hand a letter to Asean leaders stating the argument of the United Front for Democrcy against Dictatorship (UDD) that Mr Abhisit did not come to power democratically. Several security points have been set around the summit venue to prevent the red-shirts from disrupting the proceedings.

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The Nation still denying any red shirts in Pattaya

[Richard Barrow]

Thai protesters break through Asian summit cordon

PATTAYA, Thailand (AFP) — Around 100 Thai anti-government protesters broke through an army cordon and moved towards a hotel hosting a summit of Asian leaders here Friday, an AFP reporter said.

The demonstrators were part of a group of about 1,000 supporters of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra that gathered in the resort town of Pattaya shortly after the meeting with 15 foreign nations began.

The main crowd briefly clashed with police before a smaller number forced their way through a group of soldiers deployed about 500 metres (yards) from the luxury hotel.

Television footage had shown riot police and red-shirted protesters angrily pushing each other on a road leading to the hotel in the first major confrontation since mass protests began three days ago in Bangkok.

The demonstrators shouted slogans against current premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, who has resisted calls to step down and order early elections.

"Abhisit get out! If this government does not accept our demands we will not go home," shouted the protesters.

"We will go peacefully to the hotel, we will not damage anything, any government property. But we have to show the world that this government is not democratic," protest leader Arismun Pongreungrong told AFP.

The government hardened its stance on Friday, saying that it wanted to prosecute the leaders of the protests which have posed the biggest challenge yet to Abhisit's four-month-old administration.

Abhisit said late Thursday that he had boosted security in Pattaya for the summit, which groups the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

[Richard Barrow]

The foreign Affairs Ministry just did a press conference in Pattaya and said "everything is under control".

But obviously it isn't. The red shirts are demanding the resignation of Abhisit by this afternoon otherwise they will enter the summit venue. They are already much nearer than the authorities thought they would get. Another group of red shirts is expected soon.

[Richard Barrow]

Pro-Thaksin protesters confront police at Asian summit in Pattaya
The Nation

Around 100 Thai anti-government protesters broke through an army cordon and marched towards a hotel hosting a summit of Asian leaders here Friday. The main crowd briefly clashed with police before some forced their way through a group of soldiers deployed about 500 metres (yards) from the luxury hotel. A police deploying at an entrance of the hotel said that there were three police cordons to prevent the protesters from reaching the hotel. As of noon, the protesters could break through the first cordon and are about 500 metres away from the hotel's entrance, police said. Television footage later showed riot police and red-shirted protesters angrily pushing each other on a road leading to the hotel.

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Strangely, the anti-Thaksin TAN ASTV tv channel, who are reporting live from Pattaya, said "thousands".

[Richard Barrow]

Red-shirts gather at summit venue
By: BangkokPost.com
Published: 10/04/2009 at 12:21 PM

About 1,500 anti-government protesters have arrived at Pattaya's Royal Cliff Beach Resort where the the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Plus Three and the East Asian summits are being held. The protesters, led by United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) core member Arismun Pongreungrong, gathered in front of the venue, demanding for the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Mr Arismun said Mr Abhisit was not democratically elected. Navy personnel formed lines to prevent the red-shirt protesters from breaking into the venue.

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The Nation are still in denial and say there are only 100 red shirts in Pattaya.

[Stephen Cleary]

After the PAD's bloody clashes with the cops the police are on the side of the red-shirts (verified by a few cop buddies of mine over a couple of bevvies lately). In fact, they claim that the Thai police force as a whole is on the side of the red shirts.

The army........ well they are simply divided in the middle.

The cops aren't gonna give a darned if the red-shirts totally disrupt this conference.

[Richard Barrow]

Supporters of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra break past a barried of riot policemen near the venue of the 14th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Pattaya April 10, 2009. Anti-government protesters converged on the Thai beach town of Pattaya on Friday with plans to disrupt an Asian summit as part of efforts to try to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to step down. (Reuters)