Thailand Moves Regional Summit To Beach Town

PM Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters the former fishing village of Hua Hin was the best venue to host the summit of the 10-member ASEAN.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Wednesday he had decided to move the venue of a regional summit to a resort town 200 km from the capital to avoid disruption by anti-government protesters.

Abhisit told reporters the former fishing village of Hua Hin, 125 miles southwest of Bangkok, was the best venue to host the summit of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) from Feb. 27 to March 1.

"It has the best environment that should provide a smooth summit," he said. The beachside town is also the habitual home of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Abhisit acknowledged that threatened street protests were behind the decision to switch the venue from Bangkok.

Thailand holds the rotating chair of ASEAN and the summit had been planned for December, but protests against the previous government caused it to be postponed.

The new dates do not fit the schedule of ASEAN's regional "dialogue partners" -- namely China, Korea, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand -- so a second, separate meeting would be held in late April to accommodate them, Abhisit said.

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