stop anti-government protesters from barging into the venue of the
ASEAN summit in Thailand, forcing the Thai prime minister to call if
off even before it started and declaring a state of emergency.
Thailand evacuated Asian leaders by helicopter after hundreds of
anti-government protesters stormed into their summit site Saturday,
forcing the country’s embattled prime minister to cancel the meeting.
More than 1,000 demonstrators broke through a wall of unarmed soldiers,
smashed through the convention center’s glass doors and ran through the
building, blowing horns, waving Thai flags and shouting demands for
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign.
They declared victory after Abhisit was forced to cancel the
16-country summit, where leaders of regional powers China, Japan and
India, and the U.N. secretary-general and president of the World Bank,
planned to discuss the global financial crisis.
Abhisit later denounced the protesters on national television as the "enemies of Thailand." Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister
Suthep Thaugsuban said" "We have apologised to all the ASEAN leaders
and we decided to announce the emergency decree to use the power to
tackle the red shirt demonstrators regarding the safe departure of all
the leaders."
The country’s political tension has simmered since former Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was removed by a military coup in 2006.
Thaksin opponents marched last year to remove Thaksin’s allies from
power, even shutting down the country’s main international airport for
about a week in November. After a court ordered the removal of the
previous government, Abhisit was appointed by Parliament in December –
sparking Thaksin supporters to take to the streets.
Their numbers
grew to 100,000 in the capital, Bangkok, last week, and some in Pattaya
smashed the window of a vehicle carrying the prime minister, who was
unharmed. Seizing the international spotlight of the East Asia
Summit this weekend, protesters converged on the seaside city of
Pattaya to push for Abhisit’s resignation – seeking to embarrass him in
front of other Asian leaders.
Abhisit imposed a state of emergency after the summit was overrun, but
revoked it six hours later after regional leaders were safely airlifted
to a nearby military airport.
The incident raises questions about the government’s ability to enforce
law and order. Despite the presence of hundreds of soldiers in riot
gear, the protesters met little resistance as they approached the
summit venue. Government supporters believe elements within the police
are sympathetic to the protesters, partly because Thaksin was himself
an officer.
The protests are a major
embarrassment to the current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who’s
been trying to project an image of calm and normalcy since he took
power in a parliamentary vote 4 months ago. The protesters are
demanding fresh elections and the return of former Thai prime minister
Thaksin Shinawatra, who was removed by the military in 2006 and now
lives in exile.
