Protesters hold up opening meeting of Asian summit

MORE than 2000 anti-government protesters forced the postponement of the opening meeting of an Asian summit.

They demanded the gathering be cancelled unless the Thai prime minister resigns.

Protesters blocked leaders from leaving their nearby hotels and marched to the meeting venue, clashing with a group of rival demonstrators.

The two sides threw rocks and smoke bombs at each other about two miles from the venue.

Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said two or three people were injured in the clashes and that authorities were investigating reports of shots fired and an explosion.

A breakfast meeting of the foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea was also cancelled today because of the protests, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

The East Asia Summit, which began on Friday morning with a meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, was supposed to get into full swing today, when those leaders were to meet with their counterparts from China, Japan and South Korea.

Panitan said that protesters blocked leaders from reaching the conference hall.