ID :
54855
Fri, 04/10/2009 - 20:20
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/54855
The shortlink copeid
"RED SHIRTS" CALL OFF DEMO AT ASEAN SUMMIT From Yong Soo Heong
PATTAYA, April 10 (Bernama) - The protest mounted by thousands of demonstrators from the pro-Thaksin "Red Shirts" or "Great Masses of the Red-Shirt People" at the 14th Asean Summit and related summits here have fizzled out after they handed a petition that demanded the ouster of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
A group of eight demonstrators from the "Red Shirts" came through the
security cordon at the Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall (PEACH), the venue
of the summits, and handed the petition to P. Bala Kumar of the Asean
Secretariat and asked him to hand it over to the foreign leaders attending the
summits.
Originally, they demanded to see a representative from a foreign delegation
to hand over the petition. Initial indications were that they asked for
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is the Deputy Chair of Asean.
The demonstration, which began before noon today, ended at about 5.10pm.
Abhisit later told a media conference that he had not seen the petition
as it was handed over to an Asean Secretariat representative.
"But I think it's the same content as in the petititon given to Asean
embassies in January. I hope there will be no more disruption to the meeting,"
said Abhisit, who vowed to take stern action against the protesters through
legal means.
He said all the 15 foreign leaders would attend the Summit despite the
protests, adding that he supported any demonstration that aimed to strengthen
the country's democracy.
Asked if it was an embarrassment for Thailand, Abhisit said similar
incidents happened during the recent G-20 meeting in London and they were
splashed all over the front pages of newspapers there.
Asean Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan said he was happy that the
protesters finally agreed to leave and hoped they would not return tomorrow.
"We will keep to our promise to hand over the documents to the participating
leaders," he said.
The drama began at about 4pm when the demonstrators who had been shouting
slogans like "We want democracy" outside PEACH demanded that they be allowed in.
After a stand-off with security personnel who included soldiers, they
then negotiated with Pattaya Mayor Ittipol Kumpleum and were finally allowed in
to hand the petition.
"Red Shirts" spokesman Sean Boongracong said that among others, they wanted
Abhisit and three Privy Councillors to resign for undermining democracy in the
country.
Asked if they would return Saturday, Sean said it would be decided by the
protest leaders later.
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's entourage which arrived at
4.05pm at the nearby Utapao Airport, managed to enter PEACH by using a side road
and caught a glimpse of the demonstrators.
Earlier, Malaysian foreign ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Rastam Isa
expressed confidence that the Thai government would be able to provide adequate
security to host the Summit.
The "Red Shirts", who had started their demonstrations in Bangkok with
more than 100,000 protesters on Wednesday, crippled the Thai capital yesterday
when they blockaded several key intersections.
They ended the road blockade Friday and returned to the Government House
where they had been protesting since March 26. The Government House, which is
the Prime Minister's Office, had experienced a blockade for three months last
year by anti-Thaksin protesters known as the "Yellow Shirts".
The "Red Shirts" demonstrators, who are aligned with former premier Thaksin
Shinawatra, have described their actions as a legitimate exercise against an
illegitimate government.
They carried several posters which described Abhisit as a dictator and that
he was not the Thai prime minister.
Another poster screamed "Prime Minister Thaksin Come Back, You Are The Best
PM".
Abhisit, the British-born Eton and Oxford-educated politician, became
prime minister in December last year while Thaksin became prime minister in 2001
before he was ousted in a military coup in 2006.
-- BERNAMA
A group of eight demonstrators from the "Red Shirts" came through the
security cordon at the Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall (PEACH), the venue
of the summits, and handed the petition to P. Bala Kumar of the Asean
Secretariat and asked him to hand it over to the foreign leaders attending the
summits.
Originally, they demanded to see a representative from a foreign delegation
to hand over the petition. Initial indications were that they asked for
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who is the Deputy Chair of Asean.
The demonstration, which began before noon today, ended at about 5.10pm.
Abhisit later told a media conference that he had not seen the petition
as it was handed over to an Asean Secretariat representative.
"But I think it's the same content as in the petititon given to Asean
embassies in January. I hope there will be no more disruption to the meeting,"
said Abhisit, who vowed to take stern action against the protesters through
legal means.
He said all the 15 foreign leaders would attend the Summit despite the
protests, adding that he supported any demonstration that aimed to strengthen
the country's democracy.
Asked if it was an embarrassment for Thailand, Abhisit said similar
incidents happened during the recent G-20 meeting in London and they were
splashed all over the front pages of newspapers there.
Asean Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan said he was happy that the
protesters finally agreed to leave and hoped they would not return tomorrow.
"We will keep to our promise to hand over the documents to the participating
leaders," he said.
The drama began at about 4pm when the demonstrators who had been shouting
slogans like "We want democracy" outside PEACH demanded that they be allowed in.
After a stand-off with security personnel who included soldiers, they
then negotiated with Pattaya Mayor Ittipol Kumpleum and were finally allowed in
to hand the petition.
"Red Shirts" spokesman Sean Boongracong said that among others, they wanted
Abhisit and three Privy Councillors to resign for undermining democracy in the
country.
Asked if they would return Saturday, Sean said it would be decided by the
protest leaders later.
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's entourage which arrived at
4.05pm at the nearby Utapao Airport, managed to enter PEACH by using a side road
and caught a glimpse of the demonstrators.
Earlier, Malaysian foreign ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Rastam Isa
expressed confidence that the Thai government would be able to provide adequate
security to host the Summit.
The "Red Shirts", who had started their demonstrations in Bangkok with
more than 100,000 protesters on Wednesday, crippled the Thai capital yesterday
when they blockaded several key intersections.
They ended the road blockade Friday and returned to the Government House
where they had been protesting since March 26. The Government House, which is
the Prime Minister's Office, had experienced a blockade for three months last
year by anti-Thaksin protesters known as the "Yellow Shirts".
The "Red Shirts" demonstrators, who are aligned with former premier Thaksin
Shinawatra, have described their actions as a legitimate exercise against an
illegitimate government.
They carried several posters which described Abhisit as a dictator and that
he was not the Thai prime minister.
Another poster screamed "Prime Minister Thaksin Come Back, You Are The Best
PM".
Abhisit, the British-born Eton and Oxford-educated politician, became
prime minister in December last year while Thaksin became prime minister in 2001
before he was ousted in a military coup in 2006.
-- BERNAMA
