BANGKOK - RED shirts in Phuket vowed on Tuesday that they have no plans to cause a disturbance during the Asian Summit rescheduled to be held next month on the island.

They conveyed the message during a meeting with Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop, Phuket Gazette online reported on Tuesday.

They submitted a letter to the governor which said they would not do anything to destroy Phuket's reputation during the summit to be held on June 13 and 14.

The group's leader, Wisut Tangwittayaporn, said: "We will not rally or do anything to destroy the reputation of Phuket and Thailand during the meetings. "We will cooperate with the people of Phuket to prevent the "other colour" group from causing any disturbance during the meetings," he said.

The governor was quoted as saying he wanted nothing more than the summits to go smoothly. "If everyone comes together to host a successful series of meetings, it will benefit the entire island by enhancing Phuket's reputation as a safe tourist destination," he said.

If any Phuket people are unhappy about the meetings, they should drive the governor off the island rather than take part in anti-government demonstrations, he added.

Mr Wisut said his group continued to oppose the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and its decision to invoke the Internal Security Act in Phuket during the meeting.

"The Security Act will impact tourism in Phuket. Tourists will be frightened when they land at Phuket International Airport and see soldiers armed with assault rifles," he said.

Given that Phuket and six other nearby provinces are the power base of the Democrat Party, there is no reason to invoke the Act in Phuket or surrounding provinces. While admitting to his role in mobilising red-shirt followers to take part in demonstrations at the aborted summit in Pattaya over the Songkran holiday, he insisted his goal is political reconciliation across the entire country.

To achieve this, Prime Minister Abhisit must call on his party members to stop accusing the red shirts of being the cause of violence, he said. "If his party members don't stop barking at the red shirts, there is no way to have reconciliation in Thailand," said Wisut, who in 2007 ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation during a by-election in District 1. -- THE NATION/ANN