Thai Protesters Break Through Summit Security, Besiege Convention Hall
By VOA News
10 April 2009
Anti-government protesters at an Asian summit in Thailand retreated Friday after they clashed with troops in riot gear in the coastal town of Pattaya.
About 2,000 opponents of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, dressed in red shirts, clashed with security forces. Protesters supporting ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra insisted on presenting a petition for Mr. Abhisit's resignation to participants at the meeting.
They thronged the area around the Pattaya beach hotel where foreign leaders are gathering for three days of talks about strategies to cope with the global economic crisis.
A spokesman for Mr. Abhisit's Democrat Party said prime ministers and other top leaders will meet as scheduled Saturday despite the protests, and that all security measures are in place.
Ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, as well as the leaders of six other major Asian nations - Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea - are attending the summit in Pattaya, which began Friday with talks by foreign ministers.
The meeting was originally scheduled to take place in Bangkok last December, but was postponed due to massive protests against the previous Thai government, which led to the temporary closure of the capital's two major airports.
Mr. Abhisit took up government leadership last December after a court decision removed Mr. Thaksin's allies from power.
Over the past week, supporters of the ousted former prime minister have stepped up attacks on Mr. Abhisit's four-month-old government. The prime minister has refused to bow to the protesters' demands.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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