Helicopters evacuate leaders from Asian summit

Helicopters began evacuating foreign leaders Saturday after anti-government protests forced the postponement of a major Asian summit in Thailand, AFP reporters and police said.

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo boarded a civilian helicopter which landed on the roof of the luxury beach resort hotel in the city of Pattaya where the meeting was being held, an AFP correspondent said.

Police separately said that Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein had been airlifted by chopper to the Vietnam War-era U-Tapao military airfield near Pattaya.

“That is our plan,” an official at the police summit security centre said when asked if other leaders would be evacuated by helicopter.

An AFP photographer later said that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was the first to arrive by helicopter at the airfield, followed by Vietnamese Premier Nguyen Tan Dung and Myanmar’s Thein Sein.Planes for the foreign leaders were on standby there.

Police said that other leaders including those of China, Japan and South Korea were still at their hotels in Pattaya, where the protesters had trapped them earlier with roadblocks.

“The rest of the leaders are still at their hotels and police are waiting for further government orders,” the summit police official said, asking not to be named.

(AFP)