The army is in Pattaya

[noodles]

The last few days have been difficult for me to get into the Pratumnak and Jomtien area because of the ASEAN summit and tight security with hundreds of police everywhere blocking off the main roads.

 

Today it took me nearly an hour to get to the office because 3rd road was full of red shirts all the way from Pattaya Klang to Thappraya Rd. I also saw hundreds of them last night opposite Hollywood disco behind Big C watching Thaksin deliver a video address from Hong Kong.

 

Here is a press release taken from The Age

 

Protesters reach Asian summit venue

April 10, 2009 - 3:19PM

 

Hundreds of Thai anti-government protesters have reached a hotel hosting a major Asian summit after breaking through a final security cordon, AFP reporters say.

 

About 200 protesters passed through the last line of unarmed riot police with little resistance, chanting anti-government slogans, cheering and clapping their hands.

 

Some arrived on pick-up trucks and on scooters, moving to within 50 metres of the front doors of the luxury hotel where a meeting of 16 nations is being held this weekend.

 

The demonstrators were part of a group of about 1,000 supporters of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra that gathered in the resort town of Pattaya after causing chaos on Thursday with traffic disruptions in the capital Bangkok.

 

The main crowd briefly clashed with police guarding the summit venue before a smaller number forced their way closer to the building.

 

They waved red posters reading "Get out" and "Thailand needs change", in their campaign for the ouster of current premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, who has resisted calls to step down and order early elections.

 

© 2009 AFP

 

Here are some pics taken an hour ago of the police and army barricading off Pratumnak Rd:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 10, 2009 by Alleycat

[Al.]

It's just been reported on BBC World News the red shirts have broken through the police cordon.

 

Al.

[bigjimslay]

OH hell man, I feel for ya Noodles. I am just glad I am offshore at the moment and not having to deal with that crap in our area. Hope this all clears up after the Summit.

[Scumbag]

OH hell man, I feel for ya Noodles. I am just glad I am offshore at the moment and not having to deal with that crap in our area. Hope this all clears up after the Summit.

lol..If you would prefer to be offshore rahter than here then you are in a sad state buddy...

[Al.]

2000 red Shirts now reported in Pattaya The Nation All it would take now is for the Yellow Shirts to descend on Pattaya for the bloodshed to start.

 

Nice pics Noodles.

 

Al.

[noodles]

OH hell man, I feel for ya Noodles. I am just glad I am offshore at the moment and not having to deal with that crap in our area. Hope this all clears up after the Summit.

 

thanks mate, yeah it's tough when you can't get into work, lol.

Looks like it's settled down a bit now although Pratumnak is still shut down.

 

 

2000 red Shirts now reported in Pattaya The Nation All it would take now is for the Yellow Shirts to descend on Pattaya for the bloodshed to start.

 

Nice pics Noodles.

 

Al.

 

thanks Al, yeah it looks like they are really trying to feed off the ASEAN summit and get some international attention for their cause.

[LaaMok]

great pictures! thats messed up!

[dairymilk]

From what I habe been reading all you need to do is walk past the security, It might be easier it you have a red shirt on

[yeaialwayswearone]

Wow great pictures from our man at the schene! dont tell the bbc or they might headhunt him from PA lol

[Tao 66]

If I go out next month I am making sure I don't pack any red or yellow T shirts. What a crazy mess.

[hazze]

great pics mate.

 

:( I'm starting to really worry about pattaya.

 

Why can't they go back to playing politics in BKK and leave pattaya alone.

[RedRackam]

Just out of interest, if the Thais are all about 'face' why hold a summit in the biggest whorehouse in the world?

 

Doesn't give delegates (even though many of them might enjoy it) the best impression of your country.

 

Sort of like the English holding a summit in Southend.

[mirageclub]

but it gives all the delegates something to do to unwind after all that stupid politics chit chat about solving nothing as usual.

 

Still if you want a serious laugh, go check out what The British Embassy are advising UK tourists:

 

If you do have to come here, avoid Bangkok and Pattaya as that's where the worst of it is so far, and not go out when you do get here.

 

Not going out, no bother, stay in bed all day

Edited April 13, 2009 by mirageclub

[blue1878]

I've just spoken to a Thai friend in Pattaya and she says that everything is back to normal in Pattaya

[noodles]

Yes it looks like they are out of Pattaya now and taking care of business in Bangkok.

It seems the red shirts were only here to disrupt the ASEAN summit and draw international media attention to their cause of overthrowing the current govt.

 

A few more pics from Pratumnak hill.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 13, 2009 by noodles

[mondero]

Great pictures.

 

Btw, the one with the sign "Cabbages and condoms", what's the deal there?

[gaprau25]

It was so nice of the government to sent hundreds of well armed troops to block the roads so that the red shirts could stroll in unimpeded and take over the summit. Thais really are the most polite people!

[squall]

thanks for the pictures

[onenosite]

Those ministers have got to be pissed off. Never got to sneak off to Soi 6 before

being run out of town would ruin my buzz. I wonder how many came back disguised

as tourists for some P4P? Between The red, yellow and now the blue shirts, I'm not

going to have anything to wear when I get back.

[noodles]

Great pictures.

 

Btw, the one with the sign "Cabbages and condoms", what's the deal there?

 

Cabbages & Condoms is a famous chain of restaurants in Thailand that were started to spread the message about safe sex. They give you a condom when you get your bill and profits from the restaurant are used to educate people about AIDS awareness, population control and host rural development. I think the original one is off lower Suk in bangkok. I've eaten at the one in Chiang Rai but not this one in Soi 4 although i've heard it's quite good.

 

To the rescue comes a remarkable outfit called Cabbages and Condoms, the non-profit arm of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) of Thailand, an organization that encourages the villagers to make the best use of both the cabbages which grow freely in the mountains, and condoms which the PDA supplies.

 

http://www.pda.or.th/restaurant/about.asp

 

restaurant reviews

[noodles]

It was so nice of the government to sent hundreds of well armed troops to block the roads so that the red shirts could stroll in unimpeded and take over the summit. Thais really are the most polite people!

 

 

a bloke down the pub says the BiB were paid 5 million baht to let them through without much resistance