Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva last night called the red-shirts "public enemies" for declaring a victory over the cancellation of the Asean Summit with dialogue partners in Pattaya.
"In this loss to the country, anyone or any group of people that announces a victory should be regarded as true enemies of Thailand. Whatever status I have, I will never allow these people to become influential," he told a press conference at the summit venue.
Abhisit cancelled the event and postponed it indefinitely after several hundreds of protesters managed to storm past police and military barricades into the venue at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.
Rumours of a possible coup or House dissolution were spreading last night as it appeared the government had lacked cooperation from police and military in preventing the protesters from entering the summit venue's compound.
A source in the government said last night that an important decision would be made within 48 hours about what to do next.
Abhisit also announced the lifting of a state of emergency in Pattaya and Chon Buri that he had declared less than six hours earlier in the early afternoon.
"The state of emergency an-nounced earlier was aimed at providing security for the participating leaders to ensure their safe departure. Now that that task has been completed and there is no further need, the government has decided to lift it," the prime minister said.
He said the government would now focus on restoring peace in the country and he would discuss with the relevant state agencies how to attain that goal.
The premier also apologised to |the public for the summit cancellation. He said he had talked to all |the leaders before their departure, except for Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who had not yet arrived in Thailand, and that they had expressed their sympathy and understanding over the incident.
Most of the red-shirts who had protested in Pattaya left for Bangkok after the state of emergency was announced in the afternoon.
Leaders of the red-shirts earlier yesterday declared victory at their protest site outside Government House.
They called on red-shirt sympathisers all over the country to protest at provincial halls and asked for volunteers to surround the prime minister's house in the Sukhumvit area.
Protest leader Jatuporn Promphan said they would ask Abhisit to order government supporters not to assault them. He was referring to clashes between the red-shirts and blue- and black-shirts who tried to prevent the protesters from entering the Pattaya summit venue.
The Interior Ministry reported yesterday that protests by red-shirts had taken place in 29 provinces involving more than 6,800 people. The protests occurred mostly at provincial halls or public parks in the North and Northeast.
In a related development, fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra last night denounced the "use of force" by the red-shirts, many of whom are his supporters.
In a video-link speech broadcast to the protesters gathered outside Government House, Thaksin called on his supporters to continue with the "fight for true democracy".
Source: The Nation
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