PATTAYA, Thailand, April 12, 2009 (AFP) - Rampaging protesters, a state of emergency and blood on the streets of this seedy beach resort have triggered warnings for tourists to leave town or stay in their hotels.

But it would take more than that to end the non-stop party that rages every night in Pattaya, where an Asian summit was cancelled at the weekend as Thailand's political drama spilled over to its most popular holiday spot.

"Yeah, it's not good, but having said that, I know guys who'd come here if it was a war zone," says Briton Peter Norton as he and his friends knock back Thai beer in the heart of Pattaya's bar district.

"I like the party here. There's cheap beer, good weather and the girls - they work hard," he shouts over the thumping disco music while gazing at Emma, a 21-year-old he rates as the "prettiest transvestite in Pattaya"

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Photos: AFP, Reuters