| |
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
BANGKOK: Thailand's prime minister announced on Thursday that he had cancelled a visit to a northern stronghold of his rival, ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, owing to security concerns.
Abhisit Vejjajiva was set to travel to the northern city of Chiang Mai for a commerce meeting on Sunday, but decided against the trip after receiving death threats, despite initially downplaying the security risk.
The cancellation highlights the political instability faced by Thailand, which has been wracked by rival street protests for months.
Chiang Mai is a stronghold for Thaksin loyalists, known as Red Shirts, who want to see the former leader return from his self-imposed exile as he dodges a jail term for corruption.
One of the leading Red Shirts reportedly used his radio show earlier this month to threaten Abhisit with a car bomb when he visited the city.
"The Thai Chamber of Commerce wanted me to go there to hear a report of their meetings, but they were concerned about a clash and decided to give me the report here, which I have no problem with," Abhisit told reporters.
"I'm confident I would be safe if I went, but there is a possibility of a clash. I will go at the next appropriate time," he said.
A Thai TV channel reported on Thursday that police had found guns and thousands of small explosive devices in table-tennis balls in a Red Shirt's house in Chiang Mai, but police refused to comment on this when contacted by AFP.
Supporters of billionaire Thaksin, who was ousted in a coup in 2006, say Abhisit's government is illegitimate as it came to power after a controversial court ruling that forced Thaksin's allies from office.
Some 1,500 police were sent to guard Abhisit last weekend as he toured the three northern provinces of Sukhothai, Phitsanulok and Phichit, to inspect government works.
Red Shirts had been set to hold five days of rallies in Bangkok from Saturday, but they were cancelled after Thaksin said the protests were too close to the revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 82nd birthday on December 5.
In April, Thaksin's followers forced the cancellation of a major Asian summit in the coastal city of Pattaya and then rioted in Bangkok for two days, leaving two people dead.
- AFP/so
|
