By Xinhua,
Bangkok : A small anti-government group held a brief demonstration in front of Thailand’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday, demanding the government dissolve the parliament and postpone the 14th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.
In their statement, they said the newly appointed government is not legitimate to hold the ASEAN’s chairmanship and host the summit. They handed over the statement to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, a report posted on the website of The Nation newspaper said on Thursday.
The Abhisit-led government should dissolve the lower house to return power to people in order to have a new legitimate government, the statement said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said the ministry viewed their protest as exercising their democratic right and would take their demands into consideration.
The 14th ASEAN Summit is currently scheduled on Feb. 27 to March 1, 2009. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Wednesday that the government has decided to move the summit to be hosted in Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan province from the earlier planned capital Bangkok for security reasons.
During the previous government, the ASEAN summit was planned to be hosted in Chiang Mai province, in the North of Thailand as the homeland of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.