Anavach Ongvasith, chief of the Major Cineplex Group's cinema operations, said such a loss was acceptable, because it represented less than 5 per cent of the group's total theatre revenues.

"The two-day closure of Siam Paragon and Siam Discovery Centre, where we have cineplex theatres, will not greatly affect our sales," he said.

Major Cineplex operates 11 screens with seating for around 2,000 at Siam Paragon and

seven screens with seating

for around 1,100 at its EGV Theatre in Siam Discovery Centre.

These two venues represent only 5 per cent of all cinema seats handled by the company, which operates 300 theatre screens throughout Bangkok and upcountry, said Anavach.

"We have a strong cinema network and are in a situation where we are beyond worrying about the distribution of theatre venues. We also believe that filmgoers will move to other theatre locations to enjoy their preferred films," he said.

Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery Centre and Siam Centre remain closed today, with the anti-Thaksin protesters expected to camp out in front of the shopping malls. These three main shopping venues were also closed yesterday.

Nearby MBK Centre was open as usual, it was reported that Siam Square's three cinemas - Lido, Siam and Scala - were closed yesterday, and a number of shops facing Rama I Road were also closed.

Bangkok Bank closed its branch there, which faces the road, as protesters approached the Siam Square area at 2pm.

The bank said its Siam Square and Siam Paragon branches would remain closed today.

Around 60 per cent of Siam Square shops reportedly re-mained open yesterday. Among those that closed were She@Mood and Cafe Inn, which belong to caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's son Panthongtae and his friend Chalermchai Mahagitsiri. On the glass door was a sign saying: "Shop Closed to Avoid Mob".

A number of shops at Centre Point in Siam Square, including 1-2-Call, which is the prepaid business unit of Advanced Info Service Plc, were also closed.

Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation