Thailand to decide on hosting ASEAN summit next week

BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH, Nov. 28 Kyodo - The Thai government said Friday it will decide next week whether to go ahead
with hosting the ASEAN summit scheduled for mid-December.
Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat told reporters after meeting with
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat in Chiang Mai that he personally believed that
Thailand can host the summit, scheduled for Dec. 14-17 in the northern city of
Chiang Mai.
However, he admitted the current situation is difficult due to the state of
emergency around Bangkok's two airports which are occupied by anti-government
protestors.
He said so far several countries have expressed concerns over their leaders'
security.
However, Sompong insisted that Somchai is ready to negotiate with the People's
Alliance for Democracy, which is leading the protests.
Cambodia on Friday urged that the summit of the 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations be postponed due to political unrest there, reflecting
a sentiment apparently shared by other ASEAN member states.
Hor Namhong, Cambodia's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, told
reporters that postponement of the annual summit ''is necessary because of the
current situation in Thailand in which there is no one is able to manage it.''
Long-running anti-government protests in Thailand have led to the closure of
its two main airports, sent its Cabinet into hiding and paralyzed its
parliament, leaving fellow ASEAN members increasingly concerned as the summit
date approaches.
Hor Namhong said the leaders of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam agreed at a
three-nation summit in Laos on Wednesday to send a letter to ASEAN Secretary
General Surin Pitsuwan, asking him to consult with Thailand and other ASEAN
member states on whether the summit schedule should be maintained or postponed.
Somchai, speaking to reporters in Chiang Mai after consulting with his senior
government officials, said he wants Thailand to host the summit as scheduled in
December because the postponement could affect the country's reputation.
But he acknowledged concerns from other ASEAN members over political crisis in
Thailand and admitted that the country faces a big problem in hosting the
summit.
Earlier this week, Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo told reporters ''a
cloud of uncertainty'' hangs over the ASEAN summit due to the unrest in
Thailand, according to Channel News Asia.
''We are very troubled by it. We hope that all groups in Thailand will have the
political will to compromise and find a way out for the country. The tourism
industry is badly affected. I worry that the ASEAN summit will be affected,''
Yeo was quoted as saying.
The Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretariat issued a statement Thursday acknowledging
that ''queries have surfaced as to whether the 14th ASEAN Summit will be held
as originally scheduled.
''The Secretary-General of ASEAN...is currently on his way to clarify this
matter with Thailand, which currently holds the chairmanship of ASEAN. The
ASEAN Secretariat would issue a statement once there is a definite
clarification on this matter,'' it said.
==Kyodo
2008-11-28 22:35:47