Red Shirts Enter Press Centre at Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Pattaya
In breaking news, red-shirted anti-government protesters have managed to breach security and enter the press centre at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, the hotel hosting the prestigious ASEAN summit in Pattaya.
I’m in Chiang Mai, but I’m glued to Thai television which has been showing extraordinary scenes of the events in Pattaya which have unfolded in the last hour (it’s now 13.25 local time). Television coverage is showing the red shirts waving banners and Thai flags and calling for the resignation of Thai PM Abhisit with bemused foreign and local media watching on incredulously. The invasion of the press centre has been non-violent, but it raises doubts about whether the summit can continue. With police and soldiers unable or unwilling to prevent the protesters from entering the hotel, it’s difficult to see how the scheduled meetings can continue.
The protesters have repeatedly said the target is Abhisit and the Thai government and not the foreign leaders visiting Pattaya for the ASEAN meeting. This action will guarantee maximum international exposure for the red shirt cause and the ease with which the group could enter what was a restricted area will yet again raise questions about the lack of security. It will also open the debate about the way PM Abhisit has handled the situation.
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