Pattaya , Thailand - There will be no reconciliation talks with fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra after a sharp escalation of anti-government protests in Bangkok and the nearby resort city of Pattaya aimed at disrupting a regional summit, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said Friday. A large group of pro-Thaksin demonstrators attempted Friday to gain entry into the meeting of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) with its dialogue partners, which include China and Japan.

Police, backed by soldiers, rebuffed the protestors at the foot of a hill leading up to the site of the meeting in Pattaya, which is heavily protected.

"They will absolutely not pass," Suthep told reporters in the city 100 kilometres south-east of Bangkok. "This meeting will not be disturbed. It is wrong of them to try. This is bad for Thailand. These people are only thinking of themselves and their corrupt leader."

Tens of thousands of supporters of Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon-turned-populist politician, occupied the busy Victory Monument area in the centre of Bangkok Thursday, closing down all traffic at the important junction and causing traffic chaos in the Thai capital.

Prime Minister Abhist Vejjajiva declared Friday a national holiday to give the authorities room to deal with the protest.

Suthep told reporters it was "groundless" to think the government could negotiate with a rival who has gone beyond acceptable behaviour and appeared determined to destroy normal society.

Delegates arriving at the ASEAN conference from Bangkok said the pro-Thaksin demonstrators, known as Red Shirts, appeared too few in number to cause more than an irritation, given the large security presence, but their numbers appeared to be growing.

Thaksin, in a video broadcast from an undisclosed location to protestors Thursday evening, called for "every patriot" to come forward to force Abhisit and three advisers to the Thai king to resign from their posts.

Thaksin was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail for corruption in a land deal during his 2001-6 premiership. He jumped bail and has been living in exile at various locations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

A Red Shirt leader, Veera Musikapong, said every action taken by the protestors was legitimate because they were acting for the good of the people against an illegitimate government.

Abhisit has repeatedly rebuffed calls for his resignation in television appearances, calling on protestors to understand that the calls for "democracy" were a blind to further the corrupt interests of an irresponsible former leader.

ASEAN leaders are meeting in Pattaya this weekend along with their dialogue partners China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand with regional financial initiates high on the agenda. (dpa)