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Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to the United States had a bit of a glitch Saturday night in Los Angeles when protesters forced him to cancel a dinner date.

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An estimated 500 protestors are shown gathered outside Thailand Plaza at 19:15 Saturday night local Los Angeles time. Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra had been scheduled to arrive at about 18:00. Siamtownus.com

Protest forces Thaksin to cancel LA dinner date

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to the United States had a bit of a glitch Saturday night in Los Angeles.

His scheduled dinner and talk with local red shirts was abruptly cancelled when a large group of yellow shirts blocked his entrance.

A report at www.siamtownus.com said the ex-premier was supposed to meet his supporters at Thailand Plaza on Hollywood Boulevard at 6pm.

Thaksin was to give a press interview at 6.30pm, have a private dinner with supporters and take to the stage to address them at 8pm.

A makeshift stage was prepared in the car park of Thailand Plaza.

However, about 300 yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters started gathering near the plaza to block Thaksin's entry about 5.30pm.

The red shirts, led by Darunee Kritboonyalai, who was wearing a wig in the colours of the Thai flag, parked their cars outside and walked to the venue. By 7pm, the number of yellow-shirt protesters had grown to 2,000.

A car which was believed to be carrying Thaksin was seen driving around the neighbourhood.

However, by 9pm there was no sign of Thaksin at the venue.

It was reported that he finally made a phone call to apologise to his supporters for his absence, saying he could not  gain access to Thailand Plaza

Sompong Amornvivat, a former deputy prime minister, goes on stage at about 21:30 pm to tell that crowd that Mr Thaksin was unable to make his planned speech. Siamtownus.com

The website quoted Chao Suetae, a red shirt coordinator, as saying that the event was organised by "Red USA".

The event had two parts – a private dinner with Thaksin and a talk show by the ex-premier.

Twenty people received invitations to the dinner while 65 others had purchased tickets. The talk was planned for two hours before an estimated crowd of 500 people.

Adapted from a story on bangkokpost.com

estimated – thought to be a particular amount, size, etc. based on a guess or the best information available ประมาณการ
protester – someone who shows that they disagree with something by standing somewhere, shouting, carrying signs, etc  ผู้ต่อต้าน, ผู้ประท้วง
gather – to come together in a group รวมกลุ่ม, รวมตัวกัน, จับกลุ่มกัน, ชุมนุม
local – in or related to the area that you live, or to the particular area that you are talking about  ท้องถิ่น
scheduled – planned to happen at a particular time or day ตามตารางเวลา
glitch – a small problem or fault that prevents something from being successful or working as well as it should ความบกพร่องเล็กน้อย
abruptly – suddenly and unexpectedly, and often unpleasant อย่างกะทันหัน
block – to stop someone/ something from moving through or along something else  ปิดกั้น, กีดขวาง
interview – a meeting (often a public one) at which a journalist asks somebody questions in order to find out their opinions, experiences, etc. การสัมภาษณ์
stage – a raised area, usually in a theatre, etc. where speakers, actors, dancers, etc. perform  เวที
address – to speak publicly to a group of people  กล่าวปราศรัย
makeshift – using whatever is available and therefore not very good   สำหรับใช้ชั่วคราว, ใช้ประทังไปก่อน
People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) – the union of several groups protesting against the Samak, Somchai and Abhisit and now Yingluck governments and which staged large protests against the Thaksin government as well พันธมิตรประชาชนเพื่อประชาธิปไตย 
wig – a piece of artificial hair that is worn on the head ผมปลอม
venue – the place where an activity or event happens  สถานที่ที่จัดงาน
neighbourhood – a particular area of a city or town ละแวก, ย่าน
apologise – to say you are sorry for doing something wrong or for causing a problem ขอโทษ
absence – not being present ไม่ปรากฏตัว
gain access – to be able to enter a building or place  เข้าสู่
deputy – a person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation รอง
coordinator – someone whose job is to organise the various parts of an activity and make sure that all the people involved work well together ผู้ประสานงาน
invitation – a written or spoken request asking someone to meet you or to do something with you คำเชิญ

Related search: Thaksin protest in LA