Bangkok - A Thai opposition movement on Friday petitioned South-East Asian ambassadors to make a "gesture" against the country's new government at a regional summit next month.

An estimated 100 "Red Shirts" - supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and is now living in self-imposed exile - marched to the embassies of Myanmar and Singapore in Bangkok to press their petition.

They said they would visit the embassies of the other members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) next week.

"The so-called Royal Thai Government led by Mr Abhisit Vejjajiva, does not democratically represent the great people of Thailand," said the petition, signed by Jakrapob Penkair, coordinator of the Red Shirt Movement.

Abhisit was appointed prime minister on December 15 after the previous government led by former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law, was disqualified by a court ruling that also disbanded his ruling People Power Party (PPP).

The Democrat Party, led by Abhisit, formed a new coalition government, including smaller parties and a break-away faction of the now defunct PPP, which won the most seats in the December 2007 general election.

"The Abhisit government came into existence only because of the heavy maneuvering of undemocratic external forces, the ones that disregard the true will of the people and their rights for self-determination," Jakrapob said.

He urged ASEAN ambassadors to make a "gesture" against the Abhisit government by refusing to send their leaders to attend the ASEAN summit next month in Thailand.

The Red Shirts are particularly outraged by Abhisit's appointment of Kasit Piromya as foreign minister. Kasit was a key leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, also called the "yellow shirts," who seized Bangkok's two airports from November 26 to December 3, costing the kingdom billions of dollars in lost trade and tourism revenues.

Jakrapob said he was hoping the airport closure would be raised at the ASEAN summit because it had adversely affected many countries in the region for which Bangkok is an aviation hub.

"The airport issue helps us," Jakrapob said. "Many ASEAN countries were annoyed by the closures."

The Red Shirts have no plans to lead protests at the summit in Hua Hin, 130 kilometres south-west of Bangkok, which is known as the "royal resort" because Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej keeps his summer palace there.

"We're not going to Hua Hin," Jakrapob said. (dpa)