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The regionally important ASEAN summit due to be held today in Pattaya has been disrupted for the third time as anti-government protesters successfully – and relatively peacefully – broke into the main conference venue and made the staging of the event an impossibility. The event has apparently now been postponed for a third time, with many regional leaders, foreign ministers and senior government officials having already arrived. A state of emergency has just been declared.
Several thousand red shirted supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra brought chaos to the Pattaya resort as the police and military, increasingly concerned about demonstrating displays of violence in a country now deeply divided along political lines, put up little resistance. The protesters are calling for current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign on the basis that he was not elected by the people. Abhisit’s position was endorsed by a vote in Parliament rather than via general election; he has been in power for just four months.
The debacle continues the increasingly messy political saga that has engulfed Thai politics since the rise, and subsequent deposing of Thaksin Shinawatra, who was sentenced to jail in absentia on charges of corruption, and who is currently living in exile in the Middle East. His political image took a battering recently when he was refused asylum in the United Kingdom, where he had been living since fleeing Thailand, and a refusal by both the Hong Kong and Chinese immigration authorities to allow him entry. However, his policies while in power endeared him to the countries poor, but created rifts with the wealthy classes and the monarchy.
Quite where this leaves Thailand now is open to question. The king, usually such a unifying presence in this country of 63 million, has been ill, and is reluctant to step into what many perceive as a democratic struggle, and appears keen to let democracy take its course. However, the country has been in a state of political chaos for nearly two years now, and the inability of the nation to host important regional events now has to be called into question. Trade and tourism, both key components of the economy have plummeted, and it is clear the current situation cannot continue much longer.
Thailand was due to settle border disputes with Cambodia at the conference, while many important regional issues, including security and the global financial crisis were due to be discussed, while a tri-nation discussion between the foreign ministers of China, South Korea and Japan over the recent North Korea missile launch has now also been abandoned.
Further reading:
Protests Grind Bangkok to a Halt Again
