RED SHIRTS MOVEMENT THREATHENS TO RALLY AT ASEAN SUMMIT

By D. Arul Rajoo

PATTAYA, April 9 (Bernama) -- Anti-government protesters have threatened to
move to Pattaya, the venue of the 14th Asean Summit and related summits, if
their demand for the resignation by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the
powerful Privy Council members are not met by Thursday.

A spokesman for the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (Daad)
confirmed that one of the its leader, Jatuporn Phrompan had told the rally in
Bangkok of the plan to switch to the resort city.

He said about 1,000 protestors have moved to the Democrat Party headquarters
in Bangkok to pile pressure on its leader Abhisit to step down, although the
44-year-old premier vowed to stay in office.

Jatuporn had told the crowd, which swelled to over 100,000 last night
according to police, that it would be a final showdown and that there must a
winner and loser.

Organisers of the rally claimed over 300,000 attended the protest last night
where ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra addressed the crowd via video link and
appealed for more people to join the rally and donation of food.


The red shirt supporters of ousted Thaksin have surrounded Abhisit's office
in Bangkok and the nearby resident of Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda
in an attempt to seek their resignation.

Thaksin, who is currently living in exile, had accused Prem and two Privy
Council members -- former prime minister Surayud Chulanont and ex-judge Chanchai
Likhitjittha -- of masterminding the Sept 19, 2006 military coup that brought
him down.

Tension had been rising between the protestors and authorities in the past
few days, including an attack on Abhisit's motorcade here on Tuesday. It led to
the removal of the Pattaya police chief.

Thousands of police and soldiers have been put on alert both in Pattaya and
Bangkok as leaders from Asean, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand
and India are expected to arrive here Friday.

Authorities have also set up road blocks leading to the Suvarnabhumi
International Airport in Bangkok, which was closed for more than a week last
last year by the rival yellow shirt which opposed Thaksin.

-- BERNAMA