Helicopters evacuate leaders from ASEAN summit

Helicopters began evacuating foreign leaders today after anti-government protests forced the postponement of a major Asian summit in Thailand, officials said.

The heads of states and ministers started leaving as Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency in the resort town and the surrounding province of Chonburi after protesters stormed the hotel where the summit was to open.

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo boarded a civilian helicopter. Police separately said that Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein had been airlifted by chopper to a nearby military airfield.

Declaring the state of emergency over television, Vejjajiva said, "the government has a duty to take care of the leaders who will depart from Thailand."

"In this extremely serious situation, the government has decided to impose a state of emergency in Pattaya and Chonburi to deal with the situation," he said.

Hooting horns and chanting slogans, they toppled metal detectors, smashed reception tables and left behind small polls of blood where some had been injured by glass as they rushed into the hotel.
  
A masked protester, Anupong Pong, said that the so-called Red Shirts were angered by the injuries to their supporters in the earlier clashes.
  
"Before we were prepared to be peaceful but now we want Abhisit to punish the people who are responsible," he said.
  
About 100 demonstrators reached the driveway of a luncheon meeting among the ASEAN leaders. Staff were forced to bustle hotel guests away from restaurants and the poolside.
  
The anti-government protesters had clashed with pro-government rivals armed with sticks and bottles, forcing the morning's agenda to be scrapped, including ASEAN meetings with the leaders of China, Japan and South Korea.
  
The three East Asian leaders remained in their hotels elsewhere in Pattaya.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the state of emergency was to ensure the security of leaders attending the regional talks "and to restore normalcy to the area".

The emergency measure bans public gatherings of more than five people and empowers police and military to detain suspects for between seven and 30 days without charge.

Officials can also enforce strict controls on media and all other forms of communication.

The state of emergency was declared after chaos erupted at the summit, which was supposed to discuss the global financial crisis and North Korea's rocket launch.

 Red-shirted supporters loyal to ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra breached police lines, broke down glass doors and streamed through the media centre of the hotel to push their demands for Abhisit's resignation.

 Troops made no attempt to stop the protesters despite promises of high-level security by Abhisit, who has been trying to show that his four-month-old government can cure Thailand's long-running political crisis.

"ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) leaders have reached the consensus that the meeting has to be postponed for the security of leaders," Wattanayagorn said.

Protesters said they would remain inside the hotel until Abhisit resigns and said they stormed the building in response to the wounding of three supporters in earlier clashes with pro-government demonstrators.

"We will stay until Abhisit quits," Pichet Sukjindatong, one of the protest leaders said.

"We are looking for him in this building so we can tell him to his face that he has to go. The Red Shirts have been asking him to resign for four months and we decided that now was the time to push him," he added.