Anti-government protesters in Thailand forced the postponement on Saturday of a summit of Asian leaders in Pattaya, 150km south of the capital Bangkok [AFP]
Published On 11 Apr 200911 Apr 2009
The summit had brought together the 10 member nations of Asean and China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand for discussions on trade, economic issues and regional security [AFP]
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The red-shirted protesters are supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, who was Thailand's prime minister until he was ousted in a coup in 2006 and whose reconstituted party won December's elections [AFP]
For the past several months, the "red-shirts" have been demanding the resignation of Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai prime minister, and fresh elections [AFP]
The appearance of a group of blue-shirted pro-government vigilantes, armed with clubs, bricks and slingshots, appeared to have precipitated the showdown between police and protesters in Pattaya [AFP]
Demonstrators broke through security roadblocks, pushing aside police vans and buses, before confronting soldiers at the summit venue [AFP]
The government declared a state of emergency in Pattaya before the protesters declared victory and withdrew peacefully from the summit venue [AFP]
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Their mission accomplished, the Thaksin supporters headed back to Bangkok to resume their anti-government protests there [AFP]
The summit fiasco is a huge embarrassment for Abhisit's government, which came to power through parliamentary defections that Thaksin supporters say were engineered by the army [AFP]
