WHERE will Hillary Clinton be staying and will all the Foreign Ministers at the Asean summit be wearing surgical masks to ward off H1N1?
These are the two big questions of the day on Phuket, where a grey sky wasn't doing a lot for the holiday island's image.
Phuket International Airport began to see senior delegates arriving this morning in a warmup for the top attendees who will be descending between now and Monday.
The checkpoints were reported to be operating much more smoothly today.
Instead of a single lane, two of the three lanes were being used, with anyone who needed more help pulling over to one side to let others through.
This afternoon, General Songkitti Jaggabatara, Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces and the man who runs Phuket under the Internal Security Act, was to hold a media conference at Provincial Hall.
But it was cancelled. He talked in private with local officials instead. Later, he said he was certain there would be no protests or problems on Phuket.
''Don't talk about 80 percent or 90 percent security,'' he said. ''It's now 100 percent.''
Many of the Bangkok media have arrived and the international contingents will be coming in steadily over the next few days.
The success of the series of gatherings is essential for Thailand's international reputation to be restored, given the security debacle of the Pattaya Asean Summit in April.
But on Phuket, it's very much a north island thing. That's where all the action is this time around.
If all goes well, the south will get its turn in October when Phuket is likely to be the chosen site for a rerun of the Asean Plus Six Summit.
This time though, it's Asean Plus 17, with the US Secretary of State as the star performer. Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva expected to be on the island in a supporting role on July 20.
He and Hillary will chat on July 23, in Bangkok.
We learn that the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket, where the majority of talks are being held, will also host most of the 10 Asean countries along with contingents from Australia, Japan and New Zealand.
But where will Hillary be staying? That's top secret, of course.
We think her head will fall onto a pillow at the JW Marriott, in isolation for her imported security team, or in one of the three-storey luxury villas, each with rooftop pools, at the Dusit Thani Laguna Resort, not far from the Sheraton.
Asean usually brings delegates dressed in batik shirts or crazy hats to typify tradition and the times. What about Thailand in 2009?
As many of the soldiers now on duty on the island are covering their smiles with surgical masks, we wondered whether perhaps the delegates might appear for a photo op in full white biological hazard suits?
Nobody can say for sure, but it will be interesting to see how many of the Foreign Ministers wear masks. After all, practicing what you preach is important at the top.
A large part of this security conference will be about dealing with the effects of pandemics.
If Hillary sneezes, then the rest of us just might catch cold.
The New York Times reports that Mrs Clinton is in constant pain and faces grueling physical therapy five times a day for the elbow she broke in a fall while rushing to the White House, according to people close to her.
Among the exercises: repetitively squeezing a gelatinous ball.
''Still, her aides and people at the White House dismiss suggestions that Mrs Clinton has been shunted to the sidelines,'' the newspaper reports.
''Her relationship with Mr Obama is strong, they say, and she remains an influential voice in all key debates.''
These are the two big questions of the day on Phuket, where a grey sky wasn't doing a lot for the holiday island's image.
Phuket International Airport began to see senior delegates arriving this morning in a warmup for the top attendees who will be descending between now and Monday.
The checkpoints were reported to be operating much more smoothly today.
Instead of a single lane, two of the three lanes were being used, with anyone who needed more help pulling over to one side to let others through.
This afternoon, General Songkitti Jaggabatara, Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces and the man who runs Phuket under the Internal Security Act, was to hold a media conference at Provincial Hall.
But it was cancelled. He talked in private with local officials instead. Later, he said he was certain there would be no protests or problems on Phuket.
''Don't talk about 80 percent or 90 percent security,'' he said. ''It's now 100 percent.''
Many of the Bangkok media have arrived and the international contingents will be coming in steadily over the next few days.
The success of the series of gatherings is essential for Thailand's international reputation to be restored, given the security debacle of the Pattaya Asean Summit in April.
But on Phuket, it's very much a north island thing. That's where all the action is this time around.
If all goes well, the south will get its turn in October when Phuket is likely to be the chosen site for a rerun of the Asean Plus Six Summit.
This time though, it's Asean Plus 17, with the US Secretary of State as the star performer. Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva expected to be on the island in a supporting role on July 20.
He and Hillary will chat on July 23, in Bangkok.
We learn that the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket, where the majority of talks are being held, will also host most of the 10 Asean countries along with contingents from Australia, Japan and New Zealand.
But where will Hillary be staying? That's top secret, of course.
We think her head will fall onto a pillow at the JW Marriott, in isolation for her imported security team, or in one of the three-storey luxury villas, each with rooftop pools, at the Dusit Thani Laguna Resort, not far from the Sheraton.
Asean usually brings delegates dressed in batik shirts or crazy hats to typify tradition and the times. What about Thailand in 2009?
As many of the soldiers now on duty on the island are covering their smiles with surgical masks, we wondered whether perhaps the delegates might appear for a photo op in full white biological hazard suits?
Nobody can say for sure, but it will be interesting to see how many of the Foreign Ministers wear masks. After all, practicing what you preach is important at the top.
A large part of this security conference will be about dealing with the effects of pandemics.
If Hillary sneezes, then the rest of us just might catch cold.
The New York Times reports that Mrs Clinton is in constant pain and faces grueling physical therapy five times a day for the elbow she broke in a fall while rushing to the White House, according to people close to her.
Among the exercises: repetitively squeezing a gelatinous ball.
''Still, her aides and people at the White House dismiss suggestions that Mrs Clinton has been shunted to the sidelines,'' the newspaper reports.
''Her relationship with Mr Obama is strong, they say, and she remains an influential voice in all key debates.''
What Happens if Hillary Sneezes?
Her elbow will hurt like hell and she won't have a pleasant stay here in Phuket.
Posted by Mouse on July 16, 2009 16:12