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Thailand vows to protect summit from protesters
Associated Press - April 9, 2009
Bangkok – Protesters in Thailand threatened to shift their massive anti-government rally to the seaside East Asian Summit, as authorities vowed Thursday to send in soldiers if needed to assure the safety of 15 heads of state expected.
Leaders of the protest, which swelled Wednesday to 100,000 people in Bangkok, said they were debating whether to travel from the capital to the summit venue in Pattaya, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) south, to apply more pressure to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
The demonstrators are demanding that Abhisit resign along with the top adviser to the country's revered king. The protesters, supporters of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, accuse the king's adviser of supporting the 2006 coup that toppled Thaksin's government.
Protest leaders appeared undecided on whether to disrupt the summit, but agreed that a change of strategy was necessary.
"If our demands are not met, we may have to go to Pattaya," protest leader Jatuporn Phromphan told demonstrators gathered outside the prime minister's office in Bangkok. "We want to tell our ASEAN friends and other countries to forgive us in advance if this summit cannot take place."
Another protest leader Nattawut Sai-kua told Channel 3 television that the goal was not to derail the talks. "We will just have to decide how we can pressure the government in the context of the summit, but we won't stop it from happening," he said.
Leaders are taking part in the annual East Asia Summit this weekend, with senior officials' meetings already under way Thursday at a luxury hotel in Pattaya.
Safety concerns were heightened after a car carrying Abhisit was attacked by protesters in Pattaya earlier this week. He was not hurt, but a rear window was shattered.
The summit involves 16 Asian countries: the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. Leaders of all the countries, except India, are expected to attend the conference.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban sought to assure heads of state they will be protected.
"I want to reiterate that every leader will be safe... Our security measures will be up to international standards," Suthep said. "If the police are not sufficient, we will ask for additional forces from the army."
Abhisit urged protesters to make their demands peacefully and to accept the government's offer to meet face-to-face. "If you want it to be a democracy, then come and work together. This government is open to that," he said, reiterating he will not bow to protesters' demands for his resignation.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said security reviews indicated it was "appropriate for the prime minister to attend," but he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp., "we continue to monitor the situation in Thailand very carefully."
The protesters are supporters of Thaksin, whom they say was wrongfully deposed in the 2006 coup. After a two-week sit-in outside the Government House, protesters marched Wednesday to the home of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's top adviser, 88-year-old Prem Tinsulanonda, whom they accuse of undermining democracy by orchestrating the coup.
By early afternoon Thursday, the number of protesters was down to about 20,000 people, police said. The crowd size tends to swell in the evening when Thaksin addresses his supporters via video link from abroad.
On the street outside Prem's residence Thursday, a woman drove a car into a group of protesters before peeding away. One protester was slightly injured, said Bangkok Police Chief Lt. Gen. Worapong Chiewpreecha. The driver wore a yellow shirt which is the color favored by anti-Thaksin activists.
Prem, who has denied any involvement in the coup, remained inside his home while police and soldiers stood guard i the streets and within the compound's walls.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 81, is widely revered, and by tradition the utmost respect has also been extended to his inner circle. To issue public attacks against his top advisers, known as the Privy Council, is unprecedented in recent Thai history.
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