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| International-UN-NGOs |
| Asian summit fiasco provides plenty to scoff at |
| 2009-04-15 |
| [Mail and Globe] The lobster had been grilled to perfection, the lights were low and the music tinkled softly in the background -- all that was missing were the 16 foreign leaders. Instead, reporters, junior officials and even a few soldiers in camouflage tucked into a gourmet dinner intended for heads of state after protests forced the cancellation of a major Asian summit in the Thai beach town of Pattaya. The intended guests of honour -- including Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso -- had been airlifted out of the hotel venue hours earlier after 1 000 anti-government protesters smashed their way in. Waitresses in traditional outfits glided around the grand ballroom in the five-star Royal Cliff Beach Resort on Saturday night serving their new guests after the Thai government decided not to let the food go begging. "The hotel arrangements had all been made and rather than letting everything which was prepared go to waste it was decided to invite people who were still at the venue," said Thai Foreign Ministry official Thani Thongpakdee. On the menu were local delicacies including mango salad, fried catfish, Tom Yam Kai (a spicy chicken soup), Kai Pad (fried chicken with cashew nuts), beef red curry and, of course, the lobster, reporters said. A live performance of traditional Thai music was cancelled, however, after the band that was due to perform fled the advancing red-shirted demonstrators earlier in the day, officials said. The only other missing element was wine -- one bottle of red was available for a table of high-ranking officials but for everyone else it was soft drinks on tap. |
| Posted by:Fred |