diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/execution/ExecutionHandler.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/execution/ExecutionHandler.java
index 7dd2811f05..bae1a23a0d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/execution/ExecutionHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/execution/ExecutionHandler.java
@@ -24,10 +24,14 @@ package org.jboss.netty.handler.execution;
 
 import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
 
+import org.jboss.netty.channel.Channel;
+import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelDownstreamHandler;
 import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelEvent;
 import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
 import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelPipeline;
 import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelPipelineCoverage;
+import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelState;
+import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelStateEvent;
 import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelUpstreamHandler;
 import org.jboss.netty.util.ExecutorUtil;
 import org.jboss.netty.util.ExternalResourceReleasable;
@@ -62,7 +66,7 @@ import org.jboss.netty.util.ExternalResourceReleasable;
  * @apiviz.has java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor
  */
 @ChannelPipelineCoverage("all")
-public class ExecutionHandler implements ChannelUpstreamHandler, ExternalResourceReleasable {
+public class ExecutionHandler implements ChannelUpstreamHandler, ChannelDownstreamHandler, ExternalResourceReleasable {
 
     private final Executor executor;
 
@@ -95,4 +99,25 @@ public class ExecutionHandler implements ChannelUpstreamHandler, ExternalResourc
             ChannelHandlerContext context, ChannelEvent e) throws Exception {
         executor.execute(new ChannelEventRunnable(context, e));
     }
+
+    public void handleDownstream(
+            ChannelHandlerContext ctx, ChannelEvent e) throws Exception {
+        if (e instanceof ChannelStateEvent) {
+            ChannelStateEvent cse = (ChannelStateEvent) e;
+            if (cse.getState() == ChannelState.INTEREST_OPS &&
+                (((Integer) cse.getValue()).intValue() & Channel.OP_READ) != 0) {
+
+                // setReadable(true) requested
+                boolean readSuspended = ctx.getAttachment() != null;
+                if (readSuspended) {
+                    // Drop the request silently if MemoryAwareThreadPool has
+                    // set the flag.
+                    e.getFuture().setSuccess();
+                    return;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        ctx.sendDownstream(e);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/execution/MemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor.java b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/execution/MemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor.java
index 2a17acddb1..029f28d99a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/execution/MemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/jboss/netty/handler/execution/MemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor.java
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
 
 import org.jboss.netty.channel.Channel;
 import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelEvent;
+import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
 import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelState;
 import org.jboss.netty.channel.ChannelStateEvent;
 import org.jboss.netty.logging.InternalLogger;
@@ -360,6 +361,11 @@ public class MemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor extends ThreadPoolExecutor {
             if (maxChannelMemorySize != 0 && channelCounter >= maxChannelMemorySize && channel.isOpen()) {
                 if (channel.isReadable()) {
                     //System.out.println("UNREADABLE");
+                    ChannelHandlerContext ctx = eventTask.getContext();
+                    if (ctx.getHandler() instanceof ExecutionHandler) {
+                        // readSuspended = true;
+                        ctx.setAttachment(Boolean.TRUE);
+                    }
                     channel.setReadable(false);
                 }
             }
@@ -396,12 +402,18 @@ public class MemoryAwareThreadPoolExecutor extends ThreadPoolExecutor {
         }
 
         if (task instanceof ChannelEventRunnable) {
-            Channel channel = ((ChannelEventRunnable) task).getEvent().getChannel();
+            ChannelEventRunnable eventTask = (ChannelEventRunnable) task;
+            Channel channel = eventTask.getEvent().getChannel();
             long channelCounter = getChannelCounter(channel).addAndGet(-increment);
             //System.out.println("DC: " + channelCounter + ", " + increment);
             if (maxChannelMemorySize != 0 && channelCounter < maxChannelMemorySize && channel.isOpen()) {
                 if (!channel.isReadable()) {
                     //System.out.println("READABLE");
+                    ChannelHandlerContext ctx = eventTask.getContext();
+                    if (ctx.getHandler() instanceof ExecutionHandler) {
+                        // readSuspended = false;
+                        ctx.setAttachment(null);
+                    }
                     channel.setReadable(true);
                 }
             }