Thailand to host Asean summit in late February - Romulo

Thailand will host the 14th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in late February next year at its original venue in Bangkok, according to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo.

“As soon as the referendum in Thailand is over we’ll know the exact date (of the summit). It’ll be in Bangkok, not Chiang Mai. This is the latest from the new Thai government,” Romulo said.

The ASEAN Charter that came into force last Dec. 15 provides for the holding of two ASEAN summits next year to be held in Thailand, which currently chairs the regional bloc.

“There will be two summits to be held in Bangkok. One is during the first quarter of 2009 and the second in the last quarter. Because of the Charter, we’ve calendared when the summits will be held,” he said.

The new ASEAN Charter is one of the important issues to be discussed in the summit next year.

It was under the Philippines’ chairmanship of ASEAN that the drafting of the historic Charter began.

The Charter includes in particular a provision on the creation of a human rights body, which the Philippines has consistently advocated. 

The DFA is actively involved in the drafting of the Terms of Reference for the human rights body.

“By July 2009, it is expected that the TOR for the human rights body will be submitted to the foreign ministers,” he added.

Thailand’s Ambassador to Manila Kulkumut Singhara Na Ayudhaya earlier announced the postponement of the summit at the height of massive protests in Bangkok against then prime minister Somchai Wongsawat.

Thailand’s constitutional court eventually ordered the dissolution of the ruling People Power Party for electoral fraud.

The court also ruled that Somchai and 36 other party members be banned from politics for five years.

The court said it “has decided to dissolve the party to set a political standard and an example” and to make clear that “dishonest political parties undermine Thailand’s democratic system.” 

Somchai, when he was still prime minister, broached the idea of holding the summit in Chiang Mai, which is the home province of ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra, his brother-in-law. 

The summit was originally scheduled on Dec. 15 to 18.

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

Thailand took over the chairmanship of ASEAN from Singapore on July 24.

In December 2006, the Philippines postponed the 12th ASEAN summit in Cebu because of a typhoon, a decision which dismayed the international community.