A S E A N Summit From Oct 23-25 In Phuket: Thai Pm

[sriracha john]

ASEAN Summit from Oct 23-25 in Phuket: Thai PM

SEOGWIPO, South Korea - The Asian summit shut down by protesters in April will be held from October 23-25 on the Thai resort island of Phuket, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said here Tuesday.

Abhisit announced the dates during a joint news conference with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak at the end of a summit between South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the southern island of Jeju.

Thailand currently holds ASEAN's revolving chair.

Thousands of supporters of ousted former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra stormed the April summit in Thailand's resort town of Pattaya, forcing the event to be halted.

Visiting leaders had to be evacuated -- some by helicopter from the roof of the hotel venue.

The summit was meant to host the 10-nation ASEAN plus its dialogue partners China, Japan and South Korea, and a wider grouping including Australia, India and New Zealand.

Abhisit has admitted that security measures were too lax at the meeting in Pattaya, east of Bangkok, where hundreds of security forces did little to halt the rampaging demonstrators.

As ASEAN chair, Thailand will also host the ASEAN Regional Forum on security issues in July that will gather the foreign ministers of the European Union and 26 countries, including the United States, Russia, China and North Korea.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

- Agence France-Presse | 06/02/2009 4:43 PM

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/world/06/02/09/...-phuket-thai-pm

Edited June 2, 2009 by sriracha john

[khundon]

Red and Yellow and Blue and Green, Purple and Orange white.

I can see a rainbow in October.

[Spee]

Red and Yellow and Blue and Green, Purple and Orange white.

I can see a rainbow in October.

Bkk red/yellow protests ... Suv airport invasion and closure ... Pattaya ASEAN conference disruption .... what's next?

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times ... (fill in the blank).

Will anyone even bother to show up? Seems like it would be better (and safer) to just wait until next year, unless of course Myanmar will be the next host country.

[spongeman]

Rescue choppers at the ready.

Sky will put it on pay-per-view.

[BSJ]

That is good news. I'll be in Patters about then so it will be all good for me!

[321niti123]

Bkk red/yellow protests ... Suv airport invasion and closure ... Pattaya ASEAN conference disruption .... what's next?

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times ... (fill in the blank).

Will anyone even bother to show up? Seems like it would be better (and safer) to just wait until next year, unless of course Myanmar will be the next host country.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me trice, there's no shame left to loose (they can do anything and we sont be ashamed)

after protest, tear gas bombs, airport closure, more protest, attempted assassination of PM, ASEAN security unable to fight off some dudes pushing wheelchairs for old ppl and pulling along children ( i saw the live broadcast, there were a lot of old ppl and children, they just didnt show the footage again-it'll make the security look worse), hijacking a gas truck, holding ppl of flat din daeng hostage, and bus bombs--> i dont see what we have to loose, and i dont know if they could do anything more humiliating to this country.

[sriracha john]

Security rehearsals performed ahead of ASEAN meeting in Phuket

BANGKOK, 9 July 2009 (NNT) – Relevant army units conducted security rehearsals today as part of the preparation ahead of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which is scheduled in Phuket from 17 to 23 July 2009.

Army Region 1 Commander, Gen Kanit Saphithak, today visited the 11th Infantry Regiment, King’s Guard, to observe security rehearsals ahead of the upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Phuket. On the occasion, several military tactics ranging from mild to severe were conducted, including riot dispersal and protection of important figures.

Gen Kanit also expressed his admiration for all participating units and encouraged them in their duties to restore peace and fight against all forms of wrongdoings in the country.

-- NNT 2009-07-09

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Gen Prawit: Security measures ready for ASEAN meeting in Phuket

BANGKOK, 9 July 2009 (NNT) - The Ministry of Defense has confirmed the readiness of security measures for implementation during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Phuket during 17 to 23 July 2009.

Defense Minister, Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, assured that all relevant security agencies had fully prepared safety measures for the upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting. The minister also declared that the cabinet had already approved the enforcement of the Internal Security Act within the province from 10 to 24 July.

Gen Prawit asserted that the Phuket residents had been very cooperative with the government in hosting the event. The Defense Minister thus stated that he was confident that the ASEAN meeting will be held successfully without any problem or disruption like in Pattaya.

-- NNT 2009-07-09

[sriracha john]

Thailand bans protests in Phuket during regional meeting

BANGKOK: Thailand's government Friday announced a complete ban on protests on the southern resort island of Phuket during a regional summit that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is due to attend.

The cabinet endorsed the decision to prevent a repeat of April's chaos, when anti-government protesters loyal to former premier Thaksin Shinawatra stormed a major gathering of Asian leaders in the Thai resort of Pattaya.

"I am telling all parties.... No kind of rally is allowed in Phuket. We will not designate an area for demonstration, we will not allow protest representatives to show up or mount a road blockade -- even peaceful rallies are not allowed," defence minister General Prawit Wongsuwon told reporters.

Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva had already invoked the internal security act for Phuket and an area five kilometres (three miles) around the tourist island between July 10 and 24 for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum.

The declaration allows the military to assist the police at the meeting, which groups foreign ministers from the 10 ASEAN members plus 16 dialogue partners including the United States, China, Japan and South Korea.

The army are also authorised to impose a curfew, block roads, ban the carrying of weapons and censure the media, among other measures.

Pro-Thaksin "Red Shirts" stormed the venue of ASEAN's Pattaya meeting on April 12 and forced several foreign leaders to flee. Two days of deadly rioting ensued in Bangkok and a state of emergency was declared in the capital.

The leaders' summit has now been postponed until October. It was originally due to be held last December but was repeatedly delayed and moved because of ongoing political turmoil in Thailand.

- AFP / 2009-07-10

[sriracha john]

Protesters not allowed at ASEAN meeting

Tough security measures will definitely be enforced during the ASEAN meeting in Phuket and no protests of any kind will be allowed there, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said on Friday. Mr Suthep said the government had learned from the Pattaya fiasco in April, when protesters of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) stormed the venue of the ASEAN Summit and forced its cancellation. History would not be allowed to repeat itself.

His warning followed the anti-government group's announcement it would try to hand a letter to ASEAN officials during the meeting in Phuket, demanding the resignation of Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, who was charged with terrorism over the People's Alliance for Democracy's (PAD) closure of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports late last year.

Mr Suthep said gatherings would be banned on roads leading to the Phuket Laguna Hotel, where the 42nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum will be held from July 17 to 23, and at entrances and exits to Phuket international airport.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1...t-asean-meeting

-- Bangkok Post 2009-07-10