Thai protests: Your comments

A summit of Asian leaders in Thailand has been cancelled after anti-government protesters broke into the venue.

PM Abhisit Vejjajiva has declared an "extreme state of emergency" in Pattaya, and said his priority was to ensure the leaders got home safely.

Here is a selection of comments from BBC website readers:

This has brought Pattaya to a standstill this morning and this afternoon, which is just what nobody wants as it is the Thai New Year. Seven thousand US service men are in town so this is time for the Thai business people of Pattaya to make some money as the holiday season was very short this year owing to world problems, but we have to put up with this. The knock-on effect is the crime will keep growing owing to companies having to close and the lack of money.
Kevin Fisher, Pattaya, Thailand

Living in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok the only sight we have seen of protests was when the British Embassy was the subject of a protest againstTaksin. Most of the protests are in the government area and do not really affect the day to day running of the city. Needless to say the ex-pats here do not get involved. This is a Thai problem and we are not qualified to interfere with their culture.
Peter Barry, Bangkok, Thailand

It's tit for tat, but will not help the country. Now it seems, free and fair election is the only option.
Rajhari, Freiberg, Germany

Not in Thailand at the moment but I know it very well. I think there is potential for civil war in Thailand. The divisions between the rural electorate (probably manipulated) and the elite (military, political and royal) classes are becoming ever more pronounced as the crisis rolls on. Political and economic risk has never been higher.
Steve Ellis, Hong Kong

What we're seeing here in Thailand is a Mexican stand-off between pro and anti-Thaksin factions who are likely to polarise the entire Kingdom, create civil war, or at best cause the army to step in and enforce martial law. I fear the worst is yet to come.
Ian Wensor, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Now the rest of the world will take notice of what has really happened. A democratic leader who was voted in was ousted by the military - why was this accepted by Europe and USA? Since then puppets and yes men have been planted in without any form of democracy.
Jamie Waddell, Nangrong, Thailand/Muscat, Oman

I live only a mile away from the ASEAN venue, and all I can say is security around the Royal Cliff Beach Resort was non-existent. The red-shirted protesters were moving in numbers so they could easily get to it. A sad day for Thailand and another nail in the coffin for tourism. Pattaya attracts three million foreign tourists a year.
Rob, Pattaya, Thailand

Thailand is going through dangerous social and political upheavals. The military is obviously calling the shots but ruling a country by the bayonet of a gun is the surest recipe for greater unrest. Who would have thought that a staunch centre of Buddhism would become a theatre of anarchy and bitter protest?
Pancha Chandra, Brussels, Belgium

Many Thais now believe this is a fight between republicans and royalists. It is only a matter or time before factions in the Army make a move and try to consolidate power. For Thailand, history is repeating itself once again and the only winners will be the generals who rule from behind the curtain.
Peter Tudders, Bangkok, Thailand

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