Within the last hour the Thai Government has declared a 'state of emergency' after protesters breached government buildings and this comes just days after the government admitted that months of political unrest have cost the

country $6bn in lost tourist revenues.

The ?state of emergency? was declared after protesters breached the grounds of the interior ministry and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had to be driven away by soldiers to escape.

This 'latest emergency' was declared by the prime minister following today's arrest in Bangkok of protest leader Arisman Pongruengrong and following yesterday's embarrassing cancellation of the East Asia Summit summit in Pattaya. Security forces were forced to helicopter nine Asian leaders to the safety of a military base when the summit was overrun by protesters yesterday.

Arisman Pongruengrong is a supporter of the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was today accused of plotting to kidnap the prime minister and organising the ongoing protests in Bangkok which have involved more than 100,000 people – with little intervention by police or the security authorities.

These latest troubles come as the country is still recovering from last November's seizure of Bangkok's two main airports which brought tourism, business and all flights to a halt ahead of the dissolution of former Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's government last December.

Since that time, the new government, Airports of Thailand, King Power International Group and several influential business leaders have called for cooperation to rebuild the country's tourism sector which has suffered tremendously.