Thai Protests Disrupt Asia Summit
04/11/09
Anti-government protesters in Thailand have smashed into the venue of a Asian summit in the resort of Pattaya.
A Thai government government spokesman said leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) decided to postpone the talks.
It is not clear so far whether only the Saturday session or the whole two-day summit has been cancelled.
Thailand has been in turmoil for months, following the removal of allies of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.
Some 2,000 of the red-shirted protesters, who back Mr Thaksin, had arrived in the beach resort on Friday.
This week also saw huge protests by the anti-government camp in the capital, Bangkok.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had vowed the Asean summit, called to discuss the global financial crisis, would go ahead.
It was due to get into full swing on Saturday before concluding on Sunday with a summit due to include India, Australia and New Zealand.
The new government has been left embarrassed by the ease with which its opponents have been able to disrupt such a high-level gathering, the BBC's Jonathan Head reports.
Riot police reportedly intervened to separate the protesters from hundreds of blue-shirted government supporters.
Some government supporters were armed with sticks and bottles and some of the protesters could be seen wielding sticks and at least one knife.
Deputy Thai government spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said the government was investigating unconfirmed reports that three people were shot and wounded in the clashes.
"There is an informal report of two or three injured, they are blue shirts," he said.
"We don't know exactly but maybe the bullets came from the red shirts?"
Witnesses say the protesters used taxis and at least two large lorries to block the talks venue.
"The Asean-China summit has been postponed because of the attempts to block the arrangement of the leaders," Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told reporters.
Earlier, Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone was unable to enter the talks venue because protesters were blocking the entrance.
An unnamed Japanese foreign ministry official told Reuters news agency that while the trilateral meeting had been cancelled, the Japanese foreign minister did speak by telephone separately with his South Korean and Chinese counterparts.
A Chinese official told AFP news agency that the ministers had waited for an hour before deciding to cancel.
The meeting would have been the foreign ministers' first opportunity to discuss last Sunday's launch of a North Korean rocket, widely viewed as a long-range missile test.
Resignation demand
The Asean summit has already been postponed and relocated several times because of Thailand's political turmoil.
Mr Abhisit came to power in December. He formed a coalition after a court ruled the previous government, led by allies of Mr Thaksin, was illegal.
The move came after anti-Thaksin protesters shut down the country's airport for eight days and besieged government offices.
Mr Thaksin's supporters in the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) accuse Mr Abhisit's government of being a puppet of the military.
They say he took office illegitimately and should resign so fresh elections can be held.
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