ASEAN SUMMIT WILL REMAIN IN BANGKOK, SAYS THAILAND

By D. Arul Rajoo

BANGKOK, Jan 6 (Bernama) -- The new Thai Government Tuesday said it had no
plan to again change the venue of the postponed 14th Asean Summit, despite
threats by anti-government groups to besiege the event scheduled from February
27 to March 1, in the capital.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban told reporters here that the Thai
Government was confident the summit could be held without any trouble.

He said the Democrat party-led coalition government, which came to power
last month after the previous ruling People's Power Party (PPP) was dissolved by
the Constitution Court, was aware of the threat to block the summit by the
PPP's allies in the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).

Suthep, the Democrat party secretary-general, said the government was
holding talks with UDD to ensure the summit and other related meetings could be
held.

"We respect their (UDD) right to oppose the government. But the government
has the responsibility to ensure the summit is held according to schedule," he
said.

The UDD, noted for its red shirts supporters, has vowed to block the summit
and is also planning to send letters to all the other nine Asean members,
claiming that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was illegally elected to the
post.

The Asean Summit was initially secheduled from Dec 15 to 18 in the capital
but was later changed to the northern city of Chiang Mai, following months of
street protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) which had opposed
the PPP-led government.

But when PAD besieged and closed down the Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang
Airports at the end of November, the then-Thai Government postponed the event to
March.

Despite calls from some member countries for the event to be moved to other
venues outside the Kingdom, Thailand wants to hold on to the Asean chairmanship
as it would provide them with the opportunity and signal to the international
community that the situation has returned to normal.
-- BERNAMA