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The following appears in THE NATION: _____ PM: Reds 'Public Enemies' By Political Desk The Nation on Sunday Published on April 12, 2009 Coup Rumoured as Police and Army Hang Back Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva last night called the red-shirts "public enemies" for declaring a victory over the cancellation of the Asean Summit with dialogue partners in Pattaya. "In this loss to the country, anyone or any group of people that announces a victory should be regarded as true enemies of Thailand. Whatever status I have, I will never allow these people to become influential," he told a press conference at the summit venue. Abhisit canceled the event and postponed it indefinitely after several hundreds of protesters managed to storm past police and military barricades into the venue at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort. Rumours of a possible coup or House dissolution were spreading last night as it appeared the government had lacked cooperation from police and military in preventing the protesters from entering the summit venue's compound. A source in the government said last night that an important decision would be made within 48 hours about what to do next. Abhisit also announced the lifting of a state of emergency in Pattaya and Chonburi that he had declared less than six hours earlier in the early afternoon. "The state of emergency announced earlier was aimed at providing security for the participating leaders to ensure their safe departure. Now that that task has been completed and there is no further need, the government has decided to lift it," the prime minister said. He said the government would now focus on restoring peace in the country and he would discuss with the relevant state agencies how to attain that goal. The premier also apologised to the public for the summit cancellation. He said he had talked to all the leaders before their departure, except for Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who had not yet arrived in Thailand, and that they had expressed their sympathy and understanding over the incident. Most of the red-shirts who had protested in Pattaya left for Bangkok after the state of emergency was announced in the afternoon. Leaders of the red-shirts earlier yesterday declared victory at their protest site outside Government House. They called on red-shirt sympathisers all over the country to protest at provincial halls and asked for volunteers to surround the prime minister's house in the Sukhumvit area. Protest leader Jatuporn Promphan said they would ask Abhisit to order government supporters not to assault them. He was referring to clashes between the red-shirts and blue- and black-shirts who tried to prevent the protesters from entering the Pattaya summit venue. The Interior Ministry reported yesterday that protests by red-shirts had taken place in 29 provinces involving more than 6,800 people. The protests occurred mostly at provincial halls or public parks in the North and Northeast. In a related development, fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra last night denounced the "use of force" by the red-shirts, many of whom are his supporters. In a video-link speech broadcast to the protesters gathered outside Government House, Thaksin called on his supporters to continue with the "fight for true democracy". ____________________ The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Thaksin Calls, Eggs-on Protesters Published: April 12, 2009 at 12:23 AM Fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra called by telephone to around 15,000 supporters still camped out at Government House on Saturday night. "I thank the Red Shirts in Pattaya who showed strength," he told the crowd. "In the next few days we will see real change. Red Shirts in Bangkok and elsewhere must now act immediately so that we can change our country." The next move of the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) is not known, after they clogged Bangkok streets on Thursday and forced cancellation of the Asean summit in Pattaya on Saturday. Pattaya was reported back to normal on Saturday evening, as the anti-government protesters left for home or the Bangkok demonstration. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, meanwhile, made a surprise return to the summit venue at Jomtien late on Saturday, still protected by dozens of soldiers. He announced the lifting of a six-hour state of emergency, and also apologised. "We apologise to the Thai people that this incident happened," he told the media. "Even though the government was not responsible, it is its duty to ensure the meeting runs smoothly. __________ And this: _____ Asian Neighbours Express Sympathy to the Government Published: April 12, 2009 at 12:37 AM UN chief Ban Ki-moon Saturday led expressions of regret over the shock cancellation of an Asian summit but both Asean and Asian neighbours were sympathetic. "I deeply regret the postponement of the Asean and related summits and the consequent postponement of my attendance to the events," Ban said in a statement from neighbouring Laos, where he was on a short visit. "I hope for an early restoration of normalcy in Thailand and for the settlement of differences through dialogue and peaceful means," said Ban, who had been due to attend the talks Sunday. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was forced to cancel the meeting of leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India and New Zealand. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the turmoil was a "domestic issue" and supported Thailand's continued chairmanship of Asean. "We should give them a chance," he told reporters, adding however that the Thai government should also give an assurance that Saturday's events will not be repeated. "The risk is the same for all of us, not just for me. I'm sure that in the next summit they will take into account the experience of this summit in Pattaya and preparations will be made accordingly." Najib added: "It does not affect our spirit in Asean, which is still strong for us to continue to cooperate." He said he managed to squeeze in a bilateral meeting with Abhisit but after that he went back to his room and was told to wait while Thailand decided on whether to proceed with the summit. Philippine Foreign Secretary Roberto Romulo said the summit had been postponed until further notice, adding: "This is the suggestion of the (Thai) prime minister and we all agreed." Asked whether he wanted to go home - Philippine President Gloria Arroyo was among those airlifted by chopper - he added: "Let us all enjoy Pattaya first." A spokesman for Indonesian leader Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the president was "in high spirits" despite having to turn around for home shortly after arriving at a military airbase near Pattaya. "He's leaving it all to the judgement of the Thai government on how to proceed," he added. (AFP)

Funny you should say that. Rumors of a possible coup are already circulating.

Never fear. I know just the right guy:

From what I understand, now that the state of emergency has been lifted, now that the Red Shirts have left Pattaya, and now that all the foreign ASEAN delegates are safely on their way back home, traffic in Pattaya has returned to normal (which still is a mess anyhow) . . .

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Emergency Laws in Pattaya Llifted : PM Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the government decided to lift the emergency law in Pattaya after all leaders of the Asean Summit left the country safely. The decision came after the law is imposed six hours ago after the red shirted protesters broke into the press hall of the Asean Summit in Pattaya. Speaking in a press conference at the press centre in Pattaya at about 7.15pm. The laws were imposed 1.30pm.

Your tastes, then, are a little different from mine. You would go to a brunch like this and order a coke?

For more special reports and photos see: http://www.pattayaone.net/news -and- http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000008883 The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Dramatic Evacuation Ends Chaotic Asean Summit By: AFP Pattaya - Thundering low over the beach, helicopters airlifted bewildered foreign leaders in extraordinary scenes after red-shirts swarmed the luxury hotel venue. Thousands of supporters loyal to fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra barged past lines of soldiers and riot police, smashing their way through the glass doors of the upscale hotel hosting the Asean talks. Hooting horns and yelling slogans, they streamed into the building and through the media centre, astonishing dozens of journalists as they rampaged towards an adjacent building where leaders were holding a luncheon. Hotel staff quickly cleared the restaurants and hustled bikini-clad tourists out of the pool as the protesters staged a sit-in rally at the heart of the summit, blocked by security forces with flak jackets and shotguns. "The commotion made us nervous," said one shaken hotel worker, a young waitress named Sureerat. Embattled premier Abhisit Vejjajiva quickly appeared on live television, telling the divided nation that the summit of 16 Asian nations was cancelled because of the protesters, who are demanding his resignation. In a dramatic move, he called a state of emergency for Pattaya -- one of Thailand's top tourist destinations -- and the surrounding province to assist the immediate evacuation of the visiting heads of state. "The government has a duty to take care of the leaders who will depart from Thailand," Mr Abhisit said in the address, which went out on all channels. "In this extremely serious situation, the government has decided to impose a state of emergency in Pattaya and Chonburi to deal with the situation." Within minutes, the deafening noise of the protesters, which had echoed through the halls of the venue, was replaced by the thumping of the helicopter blades as the aircraft swooped onto the hotel's rooftop. Mr Abhisit - the number-one target of the demonstrators - was the first to fly out of town, whisked away to the Vietnam War-era U-Tapao military airfield near Pattaya. The leaders of the Philippines, Myanmar and Vietnam followed by choppers to the airstrip, where planes were on standby to take them home. Other leaders left by road but all were evacuated within hours of the ruckus. A Southeast Asian diplomat said visiting dignitaries were not perturbed about the "captain of the ship" leaving first. "Abhisit was the target of the protesters and if he remained here, the other leaders would have been endangered," he said. Left behind were shell-shocked delegates and media, who stood amidst the debris including toppled metal detectors, smashed reception tables and small pools of blood where some protesters had been injured by broken glass. At a Japanese restaurant overlooking the poolside, hotel staff locked the glass doors but opened them briefly to allow in stranded guests as well as police shuttling in and out of the hotel. However, a group of foreign diplomats' wives nonchalantly finished their sushi lunch. "We are used to these demonstrations here," said Janet Rodriguez, wife of the Filipino ambassador to Thailand, while observing that the invasion of the summit venue "is not a sign of strength" for the host nation. Luggage was strewn all over the lobby of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, as delegates checked out en masse. "We have to pull out now," said the aide of one Southeast Asian leader, barking orders from a hand-held radio as his 50-member delegation prepared to travel to the nearby airbase. "Thailand should not have allowed this to happen. How could they have allowed the protesters to go this far? They should have blocked them before they reached here," he said. ____________________ And this: _____ Tourism Severely Hit by UDD The tourism sector has expressed concern over actions of the red-shirt movement, warning that tourism revenue this year could plummet at least 30 percent. The government's decision to enforce the Emergency Decree in Pattaya and Chon Buri would have a serious effect on the industry, Tourism Council of Thailand president Kongkrit Hirunkit said on Saturday. Leaders from 15 Asian countries came to Thailand to attend the Asean Summit and related summits. Foreign tourists might take the view the government could not guarantee their safety if it could not prevent the protesters breaking into the summit venue. He said the activities by United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) protesters were as bad as the actions of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters. The PAD yellow-shirt protesters occupied Suvarnabhumi airport late last year and it would take six to nine months for local tourism to recover, he said. The tourism sector, which generated about 540 billion baht annually, may lose up to 200 billion baht this year because of the red-shirt anti-government movement. More than two million people working in the tourism industry would be affected. Thai Hotels Association chairman Prakit Chinamourphong said the UDD protest was no different than the closure of Suvarnabhumi airport by the PAD last year. It would definitely hit the tourism sector significantly, and holding tourism roadshows now would be pointless because people in other countries may already have lost confidence in Thailand . Mr Prakit condemned the red-shirt movement, saying it was terrible because it damaged the whole country just to benefit one person. Association of Thai Travel Agents chairman Apichart Sankary criticised the government for failing to maintain order and security during the regional meetings. The government should not hope to host major international events again, he said.

Here is a commentary that appears in THE NATION: _____ COMMENTARY Round Two: Everyone Loses By Tulsathit Taptim Published on April 11, 2009 Even though Thaksin Shinawatra may be laughing, there is no winner after the Pattaya infamy. Pattaya will lose billions of baht. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has lost his face, and his job is under greater threat. To other Thais, Songkran has been pretty much spoiled. Thailand's image as a whole has taken a new hit. Economically struggling Asean has to defer discussing some crucial plans. The red-shirted movement, while having achieved a key objective of preventing the Asean summit with dialogue partners, can't be content with the glaring truth that, like its rival People's Alliance for Democracy, it has become its own worst enemy. And Thaksin Shinawatra will only get brief satisfaction from the turmoil in Pattaya that led to the cancellation of the summit and declaration of state of emergency which leaves everything hanging in the balance. He will be cheering a "triumph" of his supporters in the next address through video link, but deep down he must know that he is not fighting to win, that to get even is the best he can get. He has been way past of the point of no-return, and what happened in Pattaya on Saturday only serves to lengthen the distance between the man and his motherland. The biggest loss, however, belongs to us, no matter what colours of the shirts we are wearing. The political divide was not about to be bridged any time soon, but the Pattaya incident has further dimmed the fragile hope. We had wanted things to improve, but now we would be glad if they don't get any worse. It's been an-eye-for-an-eye showdown. You can seize Government House, so we can block city traffic. You can take over the airport, so we can torpedo an international summit. You fight for democracy that rejects corrupt polticians, we can fight for democracy that respects the voices of the poor. A common sense of national values has been a long-time victim, who was beaten to near death on Saturday. The nation has lost its way for some time, and the Pattaya infamy ensures there will remain no light at the end of the tunnel in the foreseeable future. The vulnerable national harmony has been dealt a new blow, and the threat to nationhood has never looked more real. Those involved in the years-long power struggle have done their best to make sure that politics affects everyone's life. Too bad the general Thais have only been feeling the negative effects of a war that those responsible insisted was for a greater good. We have come to learn that perhaps people go into war not because they are different. Maybe what has been happening was caused by the fact that we are all too much alike.

I would guess because of two reasons: One was because the government was determined to avoid violence on their part unless there absolutely was no other choice. The other was probably because the foreign representatives inside the hotel have to breathe the same air as the Red Shirts who had broken in and were just outside. "Sooooo, they are going." - Yul Brynner, 'Taras Bulba'

I'll be there with some friends. If anyone cares to join us, just send me a PM and I'll be happy to add you to our reservation.

That depends upon how long the state of emergency will be in place in Pattaya. I doubt it will last very long, but a state of emergency prohibits gatherings of more than 5 people. That could make for a very interesting Songkran.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Natthawut Declares Victory, Tells Red-Shirts to Leave Pattaya for Bangkok Natthawut Saikua, a leader of the red-shirted movement, declared victory for the Pattaya battle and told the protesters to leave the town and head back to Bangkok. "The war in Pattaya was over now. Since we have gained victory, all red-shirted people in Pattaya will return to join the rally in front of the Government House," Natthawut said.

I hope that report is true. It will certainly be nice if things get back to normal around here within the next day or two. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Red-Shirts Disperse Following State of Emergency Arisman Pongruangron told red-shirted protesters to disperse from the Royal Cliff Beach Resort Hotel, TNN reported at 1:58 pm. Arisman said the red-shirted had scored a victory to prevent the Asean summit so they no longer needed to occupy the hotel.

This just in from THE NATION: _____ Govt Announces State of Emergency in Pattaya, Chon Buri Prime Minister Abhisit announced on TV that the government announced state of emergency in Pattaya and Chon Buri following the raid of the summit venue. Abhisit said Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban was assigned to enforce the emergency law to control the situation. He said the government had made sure that all Asean leaders and other foreign leaders would leave the country safely.

Perhaps not. Then the next question is why were no viable contingency plans ever put into place? I would have thought contingency plans would be made even if there were no protests at all. Oh well, so much for my way of thinking . . . By the way, as I write this I'm suddenly hearing several helicopters overhead. I'm also surprised that none of the embassies have issued travel warnings or 'stay away from protest area' warnings.

New is breaking fast. This just in from THE NATION: _____ Asean Summit in Pattaya Collapses Thai government decided to postpone indefinitely the Asean Summit in Pattaya after red shirts protesters broke into the hotel which is hosting the summit. Government spokesman Panithan Wattanayakorn said the leaders who were attending the Summit which started on Friday are leaving the compound. "The leaders and the Thai government decided to delay the summit as the situation is not safe for them and the officials," he said in a telephone interview with Thai TV station.

I don't think so. I think contingency plans could be made quite rapidly and I don't think finding a hotel would even be necessary. A military base could be used and emergency arrangements could be made quickly. At the moment, based on my interpretation of the news reports, the very safety of the foreign dignitaries is at peril. You may, of course, be right in light of the fact that the authorities seem to be helpless to do very much. In any case, it would be difficult to dispute that despite the warnings that something like this could happen, no serious contingency plans were ever made and nothing proactive was properly planned to deal with this kind of situation. Apparently the Red Shirt leaders intend to try to push the government until there is no choice left but to resort to force to put a stop to this, and I think that's exactly what they want. I don't think the Thai government ever expected the Red Shirts to physically attack the Asean summit. In my opinion, it's a no-win situation for the Thai government. The Thai government must already have lost a hell of a lot of prestige over this. If they don't do something substantial to end this, then Thailand will have descended into sheer anarchy. If they do resort to force, then I believe they are playing right into the hands of the trap set by the Red Shirt leadership. The end result, if nothing else, will be to even further cripple the already devastated tourist industry. It will be very interesting to see what effect, if any, this all will have on the exchange rates next week.

This news just broke less than 10 minutes before this post: The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Arisman Directs Protesters to Hunt for PM Inside Royal Cliff Beach Hotel Arisman Pongruangrong, a red-shirted leade, directed protesters to raid inside the Royal Cliff Beach Resort Hotel to hunt for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. After the protesters broke inside the building of the hotel at 12:50 pm, Arisman kept on urging protesters to go inside to look for Abhisit and to disrupt all Asean meetings. TNN News agency reported that the raid by the protesters, who smashed the hotel's windows, prompted all meetings to be canceled immediately. _____ And this: _____ TNN Reports Some Vehicles Speed out of Hotel TNN reported live from the Royal Cliff Beach Resort Hotel at 1:12pm that some vehicles sped out of the hotel, passing through protesters after the red-shirted protesters stormed inside the hotel.

I voted "other," for precisely the same reason. I guess I should have been more clear in the poll that the first two choices were meant to apply to inside the bar.

I have put a poll in place for you. Isn't it true that smoking in bars is now illegal? I realize that several bars are disregarding the smoking regulations, but I still see no valid reason why smokers, including myself, have to subject non-smokers to their smoke. All a smoker has to do is step outside and light up outdoors. I have never understood why smokers would object to that, unless they feel that it is their privilege to force non-smokers to have to deal with their smoke.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Govt Asks Asian Leaders to Stay Published: 11/04/2009 at 11:16 AM The government has asked delegations from China, Japan and South Korea not to walk away from the Asean regional meetings following the violent clashes between protesters in Pattaya. A team of government spokesmen led by Panithan Wattayakorn held an emergency press conference on Saturday morning after meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summits and related summits were postponed. The clashes between the anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) protesters and blue-shirted People Love Pattaya supporters would not affect security during the regional meetings, Mr. Panithan said. But the summits would have to be rescheduled. The government would announce when they would resume. The spokesman said officials had asked delegates from China, Japan and South Korea not to leave the meetings, but admitted it would take time to bring the situation under control. ____________________ Would someone please explain to me why they don't simply move the summit elsewhere? If the Prime Minister was helicoptered in, then they can helicopter the delegates out. All they have to do is move the meetings to a military base or even the grounds of the U-Tapao airport, where the protesters can't get at them. It seems to me that it wouldn't take much effort to move the whole thing to an area that can be totally secured. Can you imagine the repercussions any of these people to attack one of the foreign heads of state, especially if it is a successful attack? In my opinion, if anyone ever writes a book about planning and security, then what's going on in Thailand should be the lead story in the chapter entitled, "Don't Let This Happen to You."

I don't think Mr. Grzes has much to worry about. When the religious right in the USA hears about it, they'll probably send some volunteers over to perform an exorcism. I wonder what the good Reverend Phelps ( see: http://www.godhatesfags.com ) has to say about this! The good Reverend Fred Phelps

This just in - from THE NATION: _____ 2 Red-Shirted Protesters Injured in Pattaya Clash Pattaya - Two red-shirted protesters were injured during their battle with the blue-shirted demonstrators in front of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort Hotel Saturday morning. At 9:34 am, the two sides sent representatives to negotiate and agreed to keep a distance between the two groups of demonstrators to avoid more clashes. The Nation

It is a crazy idea. I hope the way I heard it turns out to be wrong, but don't be surprised if that's exactly what they intend to do. In another post you asked me if I forgot where I am. This idea, if what I heard is the way it will be, is certainly a very good reminder.

That's a shame, but with all the confusion and chaos going on in Pattaya, I'm not surprised at the screw-up. Under normal circumstances it probably never would have happened.