Red threats call off gay march

The parade started from Buddha-sathan and was to head towards the Night Bazaar and end at the Tawan Trendy Mall, but organisers decided to call it off fearing violence.

Earlier in the evening, about 30 red-shirted protesters had confronted the organisers, forcing them to dismantle the stage erected near the mall to welcome the parade.

About 30 red-shirted protesters went to the Tawan Trendy Mall where a stage had been erected to welcome the Gay Pride Parade, scheduled to march from the Buddhasathan towards the Night Bazaar and to the mallThe protesters launched verbal attacks through a megaphone saying the event tarnished the city's reputation. They also reacted angrily to remarks made by the organisers that the "Rak Chiang Mai 51" group was acting like thugs.

The group vowed not to allow the event to be held in a public space. However, they had no objection to the venue being shifted to a hotel or conference room.

A few red-shirts also tried to break through police security in front of the stage to attack an organiser because they were upset that she had been taking their pictures.

After an hour of confrontation, the organisers agreed to dismantle the stage and cancel the activities in the area, to the disappointment of many, including tourists, who had been waiting to join the event. This was despite the security provided by 150 policemen.

Earlier yesterday, Petchawat Wattanapongsiri-kul, a leading member of the "Rak Chiang Mai 51" group said local residents disagreed with the parade as it was against the old city's culture and could tarnish its image. He said such an event should be held in Phuket or Pattaya, which were tourist entertainment cities. He said if the organisers wanted to spread the message about Aids then that should have been the main focus of the parade, not homosexuality. "Chiang Mai people cannot accept this and will stop the parade by all means, even violence."

Sureerat Trimakka, from the People Living With HIV/Aids Network in Thailand, said earlier yesterday that the parade had taken six months to organise and its participants were properly dressed. The idea was to increase public understanding about sexual diversity and equality as well as promoting awareness of HIV/Aids issues, she said.