The group breaches security at the summit venue in Pattaya to deliver a letter calling for Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's resignation and the dissolution of his government.
April 10, 2009
By Charles McDermid
Los Angeles Times (California, USA)
Reporting from Pattaya, Thailand -- A swarm of anti-government protesters broke through razor-wire barricades and a wall of riot police and military troops today in a bold move to spoil the start of a key Asian summit.
Following hours of tense standoff, hundreds of red-shirted protesters pushed past a phalanx of shield-wielding police and raced to the entrance of the posh seaside hotel slated to play host to top regional leaders, some of whom were already inside.
At the steps of the venue, the protesters, who total upward of 2,000, threatened to occupy the building if they could not deliver a letter of demands to a summit delegate -- but not one from Thailand. The breach came just minutes after a government official had assured reporters that the situation was under control.
"Our conditions are simple. Abhisit must go. This government must go," protest leader Arisman Pongreungrong told reporters.
After delivering the letter, the protesters retreated down the road just as the first drops of a monsoon rain began to fall. As they backed off, ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan told reporters the result was "satisfactory," but acknowledged giving a "deep sigh of relief."
"They asked us to receive a one-page letter of complaint and present it to all the ASEAN leaders. There won't be any disruption," Pitsuwan said. "This is a feature of democracy. We thank the protesters for showing maximum restraint."
Pitsuwan said the meeting of the 10-member Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, would proceed as planned. Leaders from six nonmember nations, including China, Japan, South Korea, also are scheduled to attend.
The protesters, known collectively as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, are followers of exiled former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They are demanding the resignation of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the dissolution of his 4-month-old coalition government on the grounds that it came to power undemocratically.
"This government is illegal. The prime minister came to power with assistance from the army. It was a 'silent coup!' " shouted a UDD official through a megaphone from the top of a cargo truck outside the hotel.
The UDD, called "red shirts" here, is also pushing for the prosecution of the leaders of a protest group, known for its yellow shirts, that stormed and occupied Bangkok's Government House and overran its two international airports last year in its successful campaign to oust two Thaksin-linked governments. The UDD claims the airport seizures were illegal and debilitating to Thailand's crucial tourism sector.
"We have broken no laws. No government places have been overrun," UDD spokesman Sean Boonprapong said today.
Demonstrations began outside the hotel earlier in the day with protesters chanting anti-government slogans and jeering Abhisit with taunts and calls to step down. Abhisit, a 44-year-old Oxford-educated economist, was selected by the Thai parliament after his political party came in second in national elections in late 2008.
The opposition's latest gambit to discredit and ultimately topple the Thai government follows a wave of crippling protests in Bangkok, the capital, that have demobilized the city center and thrust the image-conscious country back into the glare of international scrutiny.
On Thursday night, UDD lawmaker Jatuporn Prompon declared that a sea of red-shirted supporters would not allow the summit to commence. "We have run out of peaceful measures," he told a crowd of supporters.
In turn, the government reassured the public that the summit, known as the ASEAN+3, would continue no matter what actions the UDD took. About 8,000 members of the police and military were deployed to Pattaya, a city about 90 miles south of Bangkok more commonly known for its beach resorts and go-go bars.
Since Wednesday, more than 100,000 "red shirts" have been rallying and marching in Bangkok; at one point hundreds of UDD supporters surrounded the home of Privy Councilor General Prem Tinsulanonda, who they claim was behind the 2006 military coup that ousted Thaksin.
Thaksin claims the UDD is a "people's revolution" pitting democracy against an unnamed aristocracy. Speaking to supporters in a video call-in Thursday night, Thaksin said, "Abhisit is too young to play this game. He should resign and give power back to the people to decide the future of this land."
Two days earlier, UDD members attacked a vehicle carrying Abhisit while he was stopped at a red light in Pattaya, smashing his rear window and pummeling his driver and bodyguards. After the attack, Abhisit quickly reassured foreign leaders and dismissed the UDD's tactics.
"This is not the game, they cannot play like this," said Abhisit, who has refused the UDD's calls for his resignation. "If they are sincere the government is open to political reform."
Thaksin, a former policeman who became a billionaire telecom tycoon, was ousted in a bloodless 2006 military coup. He is on the lam after receiving a two-year jail sentence on corruption charges. Still, he retains significant popularity with Thailand's rural poor, mostly in the north and northeastern provinces, due to his populist measures while in office. His supporters are steadfast.
"We won't give up," said Nattanai Sirisorsakul, a 53-year-old physician from Bangkok and UDD stalwart. "Thaksin said, if we lose this time, there will be no second chance. We have to win and if the government uses violence, then we won't stay cool for long."
Even as Thailand has the government again seeing red, many Thais are weary of constant political upheaval and affronts to hard-won national pride.
"We are mindful of the effect to Thailand's reputation. But this is a safe country," said UDD spokesman Boonprapong. "I hope those outside Thailand can see this on the news and be able to distinguish internal politics. If I go to California and see a protest, I don't get a bad image of the U.S. -- I see people expressing their rights. People that value democracy should understand what we are doing."
McDermid is a special correspondent.
April 10, 2009
By Charles McDermid
Los Angeles Times (California, USA)
Reporting from Pattaya, Thailand -- A swarm of anti-government protesters broke through razor-wire barricades and a wall of riot police and military troops today in a bold move to spoil the start of a key Asian summit.
Following hours of tense standoff, hundreds of red-shirted protesters pushed past a phalanx of shield-wielding police and raced to the entrance of the posh seaside hotel slated to play host to top regional leaders, some of whom were already inside.
At the steps of the venue, the protesters, who total upward of 2,000, threatened to occupy the building if they could not deliver a letter of demands to a summit delegate -- but not one from Thailand. The breach came just minutes after a government official had assured reporters that the situation was under control.
"Our conditions are simple. Abhisit must go. This government must go," protest leader Arisman Pongreungrong told reporters.
After delivering the letter, the protesters retreated down the road just as the first drops of a monsoon rain began to fall. As they backed off, ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan told reporters the result was "satisfactory," but acknowledged giving a "deep sigh of relief."
"They asked us to receive a one-page letter of complaint and present it to all the ASEAN leaders. There won't be any disruption," Pitsuwan said. "This is a feature of democracy. We thank the protesters for showing maximum restraint."
Pitsuwan said the meeting of the 10-member Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, would proceed as planned. Leaders from six nonmember nations, including China, Japan, South Korea, also are scheduled to attend.
The protesters, known collectively as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, are followers of exiled former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They are demanding the resignation of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the dissolution of his 4-month-old coalition government on the grounds that it came to power undemocratically.
"This government is illegal. The prime minister came to power with assistance from the army. It was a 'silent coup!' " shouted a UDD official through a megaphone from the top of a cargo truck outside the hotel.
The UDD, called "red shirts" here, is also pushing for the prosecution of the leaders of a protest group, known for its yellow shirts, that stormed and occupied Bangkok's Government House and overran its two international airports last year in its successful campaign to oust two Thaksin-linked governments. The UDD claims the airport seizures were illegal and debilitating to Thailand's crucial tourism sector.
"We have broken no laws. No government places have been overrun," UDD spokesman Sean Boonprapong said today.
Demonstrations began outside the hotel earlier in the day with protesters chanting anti-government slogans and jeering Abhisit with taunts and calls to step down. Abhisit, a 44-year-old Oxford-educated economist, was selected by the Thai parliament after his political party came in second in national elections in late 2008.
The opposition's latest gambit to discredit and ultimately topple the Thai government follows a wave of crippling protests in Bangkok, the capital, that have demobilized the city center and thrust the image-conscious country back into the glare of international scrutiny.
On Thursday night, UDD lawmaker Jatuporn Prompon declared that a sea of red-shirted supporters would not allow the summit to commence. "We have run out of peaceful measures," he told a crowd of supporters.
In turn, the government reassured the public that the summit, known as the ASEAN+3, would continue no matter what actions the UDD took. About 8,000 members of the police and military were deployed to Pattaya, a city about 90 miles south of Bangkok more commonly known for its beach resorts and go-go bars.
Since Wednesday, more than 100,000 "red shirts" have been rallying and marching in Bangkok; at one point hundreds of UDD supporters surrounded the home of Privy Councilor General Prem Tinsulanonda, who they claim was behind the 2006 military coup that ousted Thaksin.
Thaksin claims the UDD is a "people's revolution" pitting democracy against an unnamed aristocracy. Speaking to supporters in a video call-in Thursday night, Thaksin said, "Abhisit is too young to play this game. He should resign and give power back to the people to decide the future of this land."
Two days earlier, UDD members attacked a vehicle carrying Abhisit while he was stopped at a red light in Pattaya, smashing his rear window and pummeling his driver and bodyguards. After the attack, Abhisit quickly reassured foreign leaders and dismissed the UDD's tactics.
"This is not the game, they cannot play like this," said Abhisit, who has refused the UDD's calls for his resignation. "If they are sincere the government is open to political reform."
Thaksin, a former policeman who became a billionaire telecom tycoon, was ousted in a bloodless 2006 military coup. He is on the lam after receiving a two-year jail sentence on corruption charges. Still, he retains significant popularity with Thailand's rural poor, mostly in the north and northeastern provinces, due to his populist measures while in office. His supporters are steadfast.
"We won't give up," said Nattanai Sirisorsakul, a 53-year-old physician from Bangkok and UDD stalwart. "Thaksin said, if we lose this time, there will be no second chance. We have to win and if the government uses violence, then we won't stay cool for long."
Even as Thailand has the government again seeing red, many Thais are weary of constant political upheaval and affronts to hard-won national pride.
"We are mindful of the effect to Thailand's reputation. But this is a safe country," said UDD spokesman Boonprapong. "I hope those outside Thailand can see this on the news and be able to distinguish internal politics. If I go to California and see a protest, I don't get a bad image of the U.S. -- I see people expressing their rights. People that value democracy should understand what we are doing."
McDermid is a special correspondent.
2 comments:
Thailand created crisis on purpose! don't got fools by Thai's tricks!
Border issues will be more delaying..
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