Hundreds of anti-government protesters in Thailand have broken through security cordons surrounding a summit of Asian leaders in the beach resort town of Pattaya.
The protesters, who are demanding the resignation of Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai prime minister, converged on the summit venue on Friday threatening to disrupt the conference centre unless he bows to their demands.Chanting "Abhisit get out," several hundred red-shirted protesters pushed past riot police lines outside the convention centre and began blocking entrances to the building.
There was no reported violence, but columns of hundreds of soldiers with riot gear were seen marching toward the site.As they did so, a truck with a loud speaker denounced Abhisit's government, saying he had no right to host the summit, which brings together leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) plus, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
"We will peacefully block the area and the summit site," Arisman Pongreungrong, a protest leader, told the Associated Press. "We do not want any violence."
Abhisit has rejected the protesters demands and has ordered increased security in Pattaya for the summit.
About 8,000 police have been deployed around the summit venue, with protesters kept several kilometres from the meeting.
"Nothing untoward will happen to the leaders. We will make sure of that," Suthep Thaugsuban, the deputy prime minister, told reporters seeking to assure visiting heads of state that they will be safe. "We have to make sure the meeting can go on."
The summit is expected to focus on measures to combat the global economic crisis, stressing the importance of preserving free trade and fighting protectionism.
China and the Asean states are also due to sign a long-planned free-trade agreement, a key in the regional body's ambition to create the world's largest.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera
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