PHUKET will be playing host to an important summit next week, although details of precisely who will be there and what will be discussed remain unavailable.
Representatives from 27 countries are expected over the three days of the summit, from Monday to Wednesday, under the banner of the Asean Regional Forum.
The forum was intended to be a forerunner to the 16-nation Asean Plus Six Summit, which was to be held on June 13-14.
Thailand's Cabinet was also planning to hold a meeting on Phuket in the lead-up to the important Plus Six summit replay that has now been postponed until October.
While a Cabinet meeting on Phuket would now serve little purpose as a ''practice run,'' the Asean Regional Forum is, so we are told, going ahead.
However, because security is the main topic, only as much can be reported as what Phuketwan was told today by a Foreign Ministry spokesman, who preferred to remain anonymous.
With representatives attending from some countries with chronic insurgency and security problems, the forum has its place in the fight against terrorism.
The 27 countries are Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam from Asean, the 10 dialogue partners Australia, Canada, China, the EU, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US, the Democratic Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, East Timor, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, plus Papua New Guinea as an observer.
Various groupings will meet over the three days at the Movenpick Resort, which is on Karon beach, not far from the Hilton Arcadia Phuket, where the Asean Plus Six summit was to be centred next month before yesterday's announcement of a postponement.
Phuket has now been twice slated as the destination for the Asean Plus Six Summit and twice disappointed.
Selecting a suitable alternative date for the Asean Plus Six Summit is expected to be part of discussions on Phuket on Tuesday, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjjajiva said yesterday in Bangkok.
The Asean Regional Forum (ARF) is described as ''the principal forum for security dialogue in Asia, complementing the various bilateral alliances and dialogues.
''It provides a setting in which members can discuss current regional security issues and develop cooperative measures to enhance peace and security in the region.''
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Representatives from 27 countries are expected over the three days of the summit, from Monday to Wednesday, under the banner of the Asean Regional Forum.
The forum was intended to be a forerunner to the 16-nation Asean Plus Six Summit, which was to be held on June 13-14.
Thailand's Cabinet was also planning to hold a meeting on Phuket in the lead-up to the important Plus Six summit replay that has now been postponed until October.
While a Cabinet meeting on Phuket would now serve little purpose as a ''practice run,'' the Asean Regional Forum is, so we are told, going ahead.
However, because security is the main topic, only as much can be reported as what Phuketwan was told today by a Foreign Ministry spokesman, who preferred to remain anonymous.
With representatives attending from some countries with chronic insurgency and security problems, the forum has its place in the fight against terrorism.
The 27 countries are Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam from Asean, the 10 dialogue partners Australia, Canada, China, the EU, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US, the Democratic Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, East Timor, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, plus Papua New Guinea as an observer.
Various groupings will meet over the three days at the Movenpick Resort, which is on Karon beach, not far from the Hilton Arcadia Phuket, where the Asean Plus Six summit was to be centred next month before yesterday's announcement of a postponement.
Phuket has now been twice slated as the destination for the Asean Plus Six Summit and twice disappointed.
Selecting a suitable alternative date for the Asean Plus Six Summit is expected to be part of discussions on Phuket on Tuesday, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjjajiva said yesterday in Bangkok.
The Asean Regional Forum (ARF) is described as ''the principal forum for security dialogue in Asia, complementing the various bilateral alliances and dialogues.
''It provides a setting in which members can discuss current regional security issues and develop cooperative measures to enhance peace and security in the region.''
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