Red threats call off gay march
Chiang Mai - The second Gay Pride Parade here was called off late Saturday evening after a stand-off with a group of "Rak Chiang Mai 51" red-shirted demonstrators who were objecting to the public event.
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.
Red threats call off gay march - Nationmultimedia.com
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"Rak Chiang Mai 51" are getting a bit of a nasty reputation. They were involved in a punch up at the railway station a couple of weeks back.