Pattaya Today 1
Vol. 8 No. 15 16 - 30 April 2009
Volume 8, Issue 15
16 - 30 April 2009
Red Shirts get more Press Coverage than the ASEAN Summit
On the opening day of the 14th ASEAN Summit, a summit that was to showcase Pattaya and Thailand as a leading venue for corporate events to companies around the world, around 2,000 red-shirt protesters marched under the scorching heat to the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, passing many police security
points along the way without incident. Blocking the entrance to the resort, one of the core leaders, Chukiat Duangchana, told reporters “We will not break into the resort, we are here to demand the resignation of the Prime Minister”, he continued “Our objective is not to obstruct
the summit, we want to join in the summit too”. Whilst the protesters chanted “PM, Get Out” and “Prem, Get Out”, around 300 navy personal formed lines in front of the hotel to ensure protesters remained outside. Deputy Prime Minister, Suthep Thaugsuban, ventured outside to take a closer look at the spectacle, but refrained from addressing the protesters directly. He told reporters, “The government is trying to solve the problems with a soft approach, we are trying to negotiate with the protesters and ask them to take the country’s best interests to heart”. He continued, “We are trying to negotiate with them at the moment, if they refuce to listen, we may be forced to clear a way
through”. National Police Chief, General Patcharawat Wongsuwan, whilst negotiating with the protesters asked them to step away from the resorts entrance to allow the leaders of the six nations access to the summit. Whilst the protesters travelled along a two kilometre road starting off at Petchtrakul Road, around 500 people wearing the ‘Kings’ blue coloured shirts, demonstrated in front of City Hall asking that the red-shirt demonstrators show peace and unity to the leaders of those nations attending the summit, to show that Thailand and in particular Pattaya, can host world events with class. The demonstrators have been active around Pattaya for the few days leading up to the
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start of the summit. A mobile cabinet meeting due to take place at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Pattaya on the 7th April was disrupted when ‘Red Shirt’ demonstrators, in excess of 1,000, led by Mrs. Jureeporn Sintupai, staged a protest at the entrance to the hotel. Continued on page 2