42ND AMM KICKS OFF IN PHUKET

By D.Arul Rajoo

PHUKET, July 17 (Bernama) -- The deadly attack on two luxury hotels in
Indonesia is expected to renew calls for greater regional cooperation to combat
terrorism as the 42nd Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) kicks off in the Thai
resort island of Phuket Friday.

Terrorism, once the favourite agenda on regional meetings after the 9/11
attack in the United States, is not on the official agenda here, but the
stunning bombing Friday which killed at least nine people in Jakarta is certain
to appear during discussions.

The week-long AMM, the Post-Ministerial Conferences (PMC) and the Asean
Regional Forum (ARF) kick off today at the heavily-guarded Sheraton Grande
Laguna Resort with the Asean Senior Officials (SOM) beginning the task of
drafting the joint statement to be issued by ministers.

Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Rastam Mohd Isa is leading the Malaysian
delegation at the SOM. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman is expected to arrive here
Sunday.

Thailand, which was forced to abort the East Asian Summit (EAS) in Pattaya
last April after anti-government protesters stormed the meeting venue, has
invoked the Internal Security Act for two weeks on the island, mobilising 10,000
soldiers and banning all types of demonstrations.

The host is using the Phuket meeting to redeem its battered pride as more
than 1,200 delegates from 26 countries and international organisations gather
here for a total of 32 meetings.

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, who is facing terrorism charges with 35
others involved in the blockade of Bangkok's two airports from Nov 25 to Dec 2
last year before he became minister, will chair the meetings despite strong
demands for his resignation.

The Thai Foreign Ministry's director of the Asean Affairs Department,
Vitavas Srivihok, said United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, making
her first trip to this part of the world since taking office early this year,
would attend the ARF.

The US will sign the instruments of accession and extension to the Treaty of
Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, becoming the 26th country to do so, a
signal of its commitment to the region which was thought to be neglected during
the Bush administration.

The main agenda is human rights and the endorsement of a final report on the
terms of reference for the Asean Human Rights Body (AHRB). A high-level panel
will submit its final report to the ministers on Sunday.

Another issue on the card is regional cooperation to curb the threat of the
Influenza A H1N1 virus that has killed 25 people in Thailand and is spreading
fast throughout the world.

Political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak said that unlike past ministerial
meetings, the AMM in Phuket would be the most critical in the organisation's
history as it was taking place on the heels of the delayed Asean Summit last
February and the aborted Fourth EAS.

"As the current Asean chair, Thailand's domestic political turmoil has put
the 10-member grouping on a bumpy road just as the highly touted but problematic
Asean Charter marks its seventh month in force since being promulgated last
December," he wrote in the Bangkok Post.
-- BERNAMA