ASEAN summit in Thailand postponed: govt official
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 12/02/2008 2:21 PM
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BANGKOK - Crisis-hit Thailand has postponed a summit of the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN scheduled for mid-December, a senior government official said Tuesday.
News of the delay came shortly after the country's constitutional court dissolved Thailand's ruling party and barred Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from politics for five years.
"The cabinet has agreed to the proposal by the foreign ministry to postpone the ASEAN summit. The next date of the summit will be decided in consultation with ASEAN members," the official told Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity.
The summit had been scheduled for December 15-18 in the northern city of Chiang Mai. It had already been moved out of Bangkok due to the turmoil, which has seen protesters occupy both of the capital's airports.
Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat earlier said a final decision on the December 13-17 ASEAN and East Asian meetings will be announced on Tuesday, exactly a week after anti-government protesters blockaded Bangkok's international airport.
Surin said Thai leaders told him they were worried a delay could complicate bringing the ASEAN Charter into force on December 15. The summit was also expected to agree on initiatives to tackle the global financial crisis.
"I assure them that we can rearrange our work plans if Thailand ... decides to postpone it for a few weeks," said Surin, who is a Thai.
"A postponement would be good for ASEAN officials to prepare everything well with Thai officials," he added. With reports from Agence France-Presse and Reuters
