Police raids which uncovered 6,000 home-made ‘ping pong’ bombs, 30 guns and ammunition resulted in Abhisit cancelling his Chiang Mai visit this weekend.
Chiang Mai police found the bombs, 6 pistols, a rifle and a shotgun at the home of 45 year old Narong Bunchongcharoen, who had worked as a security guard at the last ‘red shirt’ rally. He denied possessing illegal weapons, saying the bombs were ‘fireworks’ which remained unsold after the Loi Kratong festival. The guns had been given to him in settlement of a debt, he claimed.
Late on Wednesday night, police made another arrest at a city centre karaoke bar, where they found 22 home made guns and gun-making equipment.
On Thursday, about 100 red shirted protesters briefly surrounded the central Phrasingh police station, demanding that an arrest warrant be cancelled for a local radio presenter who had allegedly made death threats to the PM. The warrant has yet to be served.
In a statement, the PM said that if the event he was to attend had been a government one, he would have come as planned. But as it came from “the private sector” he had “followed their suggestion” to remain in Bangkok.
The Governor of Chiang Mai province has promised the Prime Minister that he will be safe when he visits the city on November 29th.
PM Abhisit Vejajiva is due to attend a national meeting of Thai Chambers of Commerce, here in the epi-centre of the ‘red shirt’ pro-Taksin Shinawat faction.
Today, Governor Amornphan Nimanand said: “The red-shirt anti-government group in Chiang Mai has now turned to non-violent demonstrations to avoid giving the city a bad image.”
The meeting of the many regional Chambers is intended to attempt to solve economic problems and help rehabilitate the economy.
Editor’s Note: Many of the PM’s recent visits outside the capital, Bangkok, have featured helicopters and big military and police operations after demonstrators attacked his mini-bus last month and managed to pull open a door.
The biggest ever gathering of classic cars in Chiang Mai took place on Sunday to celebrate the owners’ new website: www.chiangmaiclassiccar.com
Fifty cars and 8 scooters assembled at the Yaang Come Hotel, Sidornchai Road, as guests of the owner Khun Jitapong Guawong, whose front door was flanked by his 1940’s Mercedes Benz and 1950’s Armstrong Siddeley. But it was not only glamorous limousines and Porsches posing for the cameras. Long and short wheelbase Land Rovers, two Mokes (the jeep version of the Mini), a split-screen VW Kombi and a turbocharged Mazda pick up truck added to the huge variety.
Guest of honour from Bangkok was Khun Pravut Kanchanawat, vice president of the national Classic Car Association Thailand.
The new website is being linked to the English language www.classiccarsoflanna.com and more photos from Sunday can be seen on www.city-now.com (go to Social Scene and click on classic cars).
Owners meet on the last Sunday morning of each month. Next is November 29th at NIM City Daily, the shopping area near the airport with the Rimping supermarket.
