Must Thailand sink further?

We were saddened by their short-sighted and selfish action, which has turned Thailand and its role as chair of Asean into an international embarrassment. The Abhisit government had no choice but to declare a seven-hour state of emergency in Pattaya and Chon Buri.

The image of Pattaya as a resort destination has also been tarnished beyond repair.

These mindless demonstrators, who have blocked streets, also did a great disservice to the country as they literally held hostage all the leaders from Asean and dialogue partners who had arrived in Pattaya days before. Those from Australia had to turn their planes away in midair. Scheduled meetings planned months ahead were cancelled. The whole of yesterday afternoon Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was at U-Tapao Airport to see off all the East Asian leaders and personally apologise for the inconvenience. That was the least he could do in the circumstances. It was commendable that he announced the end of five-hour state of emergency in Pattaya and Chon Buri.

The postponement has once again damaged Thailand's already fragile reputation, and worst of all it will impact on the image of Asean and its international standing. The East Asian leaders gathered at Pattaya were enthusiastic about developing a coordinated approach to tackle the economic woes caused by the global financial meltdown. Both Asean+3 and the East Asia Summit have been cancelled, so the planned announcements by some of the leaders cannot be made.

In the past three years, Thailand has slipped back and forth between normality and anarchy. What happened during the summit had to do with the enforcement of law and order. In this case, the Abhisit government should have been bolder in exercising the power which it legitimately possesses to restore normality. It is one thing to refuse to use force; it is another to allow protesters to run riot into the summit venue, blocking access to the hotel and putting the foreign leaders at risk. The government should have been more decisive in handling the protesters. Indeed, the incident has raised doubt about Abhisit's leadership quality, showing that he had no control over the military and the police responsible for the security of the foreign guests and leaders.

The Abhisit government must ensure that Thailand's credibility is restored as soon as possible. It will be a tough challenge for the country to hold the 15th summit, which is scheduled for October. Certainly, we can make up, but there are still lots of uncertainties.

The government must undertake whatever is necessary to ensure law and order. The heads of security must be reprimanded, and the protesters must face the due process of law.

What is incomprehensible is that these protesters - this also applies to the majority of Thais - have no clue that what is at stake for their country is the survival of democracy. It is a value we have enjoyed and abused. In this country, we talk about democracy as if it is a possession that can transform everything over night. That is not the case. The road to real democracy is often long and arduous. All of us have to work hard for it.