Kuala Lumpur: Chaotic anti-government protests in Thailand on Saturday led to postponement of a summit between India and south Asian trading bloc Asean at the resort town of Pattaya, even as leaders were airlifted to safety.
An Indian Embassy official in Bangkok said that Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath, who was representing the country at the summit, was safe.
Heads of states of other member countries were also evacuated to safety, reports said.
Thailand declared a state of emergency after supporters of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Sginawatra stormed the summit venue, demanding the resignation of incumbent Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
The postponement of the India-Asean summit, the second time since December 2008, would further delay a free trade agreement between New Delhi and the 10-nation trading bloc.
Nath, who had stepped in for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was also to attend a summit of east Asian countries (Asean, Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand) that was to discuss Asia's response to the global economic crisis, among other things.
Heads of multilateral agencies like World Bank, IMF were also to participate in these deliberations.
Thailand has been under political unrest since September 2006, when Shinawatra was removed.