Vegetable Festival takes the fall for Phuket’s Asean loss

PHUKET: The 15th Asean summit in October will be held in Cha-Am/Hua Hin, a shift from Phuket where it had originally been scheduled to happen. The big loss for Phuket was chalked up to security concerns, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said this afternoon.

“After consultation with security agencies, we decided to choose Cha-am/Hua Hin for the summit meeting,” he said, adding that security for leaders in Phuket during the meetings might be difficult since Phuket would holding its annual Vegetarian Festival, scheduled for October 18-26.

The summit of Asean leaders and partners from Asia/Pacific will be held from October 23 to 25, he said.

Thailand as the chair has already informed the decision to all other Asean members for consideration, Kasit said.

The Thai government announced during the Asean Ministerial Meeting in Phuket last month that the next summit would again be held here, but some security agencies have apparently suggested that it would be “more convenient” for them if the summit were to be held in Cha-Am/Hua Hin.

— Nation / Gazette Reporters