Thai protesters aim to disrupt Asian talks

PATTAYA, Thailand - Visiting Asian leaders got a taste of Thailand's political turmoil yesterday when thousands of antigovernment demonstrators threatened to disrupt a regional summit unless the prime minister resigns.

The face-off between the red-shirted protesters and columns of soldiers in riot gear upstaged the opening day of a three-day gathering that brings together 16 leaders from around Asia, including powerhouses China and Japan, to discuss ways to cope with the global slowdown that has battered their export-oriented economies.

Street protests to remove Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva from office have grown in recent days in Bangkok, swelling to 100,000 earlier in the week. With this weekend's East Asia Summit being held in the beach-resort town of Pattaya, about 2,000 protesters came loaded in buses and trucks to the convention hall to air their complaints.

The all-day standoff is the latest episode in Thailand's long-running political crisis and comes less than five months after Bangkok's airports were shut for a week by a rival group of protesters.

Yesterday, the demonstrators gathered outside the summit site and threatened to break into the convention hall at one point. They retreated in the evening but said they would likely return today.

"This government is illegitimate," said Arisman Pongreungrong, a protest leader, vowing to return "if our demands are not met."

Abhisit has repeatedly refused to step down.

The protesters are supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed by a 2006 military coup and has fled into exile. Most come from the rural poor majority that benefited from his populist policies.