Bangkok - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Monday that he might skip Sunday's scheduled visit to the northern city of Chiang Mai due to the threat of violent demonstrations. Activists loyal to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra have threatened to physically prevent Abhisit from meeting local businessmen, and allegedly have threatened his life.
He said he would listen to the advice of intelligence officials before deciding whether or not to travel to Thaksin's hometown at this time, the Bangkok Post reported.
Thaksin's loyalists have threatened to bring down the government, starting with a protest in Bangkok this Saturday, and bring the fugitive former premier back into power. Thaksin is currently on the run from a two-year prison sentence for abuse of power during his 2000-06 reign.
Thaksin's supporters claim that Abhisit is prime minister only because Thaksin, widely loathed by many among the elite and middle class, was ousted in a bloodless 2006 military coup.
Abhisit said he wanted to attend a meeting of the Thai Chamber of Commerce in order to help restore the economy of the northern region. But if the trip is considered too risky, he might have to be content with a telephone conference instead, the newspaper reported.
The prime minister also said the cabinet would consider on Tuesday whether to impose the Internal Security Act, which gives authorities special powers, in Chiang Mai and in Bangkok - where the opposition plans a prolonged protest from November 28 to December 2.
