On 11 April 2009 at 09.30 hrs., Dr. Panitan Wattanayagorn, Acting Government Spokesman, briefed the press on the updates regarding the ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Pattaya in light of the demonstrations by the so-called “red-shirts” near the meeting venue.
The spokesman said that the ASEAN-China Summit, initially scheduled for 09.00 hrs. today, has been postponed due to attempts by the demonstrators to block the leaders from coming to the venue. All leaders are kept informed of the development of the situation and, pending the efforts by the Thai Government to resolve the situation, have confirmed that they will attend the meetings. The spokesman expects the meeting to be able to begin shortly.
Dr. Panitan said that demonstrators may exercise their rights under the Constitution, but if they break the law, then the Government will have to strictly take measures to enforce the law. Already, the authorities have begun implementing security measures as planned. These measures, he added, will be implemented in accordance with internationally accepted standards to ensure safety of not only the 15 leaders who attend the Summits but also of Thai people, the demonstrators included.
There were a few clashes between groups of demonstrators far from the meeting venue. A few demonstrators were injured and have been treated. These isolated incidents were neither related to nor affect the meeting.
The Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Mr. Tharit Charungvat, also added a reassurance that the delegates attending the Summits are not the target of the demonstrators. What the demonstrators aim for is to humiliate the Thai Government as host of the Summits.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th