Govt moves ASEAN summit to Hua Hin

Post by **PeteC** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 3:45 pm

You guys are going to have some excitement! The summmit February 27 to March 1 has been switched from Bangkok to Hua Hin for security reasons.

Good move in that the red shirts probably won't do much with the King in residence. Pete

Post by **buksida** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 4:06 pm

Changed your headline ... here is the article:

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced on Wednesday the change of the venue of the 14th summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to be hosted by Thailand.

The summit, which was earlier planned to be held in Bangkok, will be moved to the resort town of Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan province for security reasons, Mr Abhisit told reporters.

The summit would be divided into two parts, he added.

The first part of the summit will be held from February 27 to March 1, while the second part will be held around the end of April.

The decision came after the anti-government group United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) threatened to block the summit.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews ... to-hua-hin

Post by **SHADOW** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 4:36 pm

So no beer for three days and even bigger traffic jams.

Post by **Babylon** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 4:42 pm

Why will there be no beer?

I thought all politicians were permenatly pissed, if I am wrong what is there excuse?

Post by **The understudy** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 5:27 pm

Hallo there Y'All

ASEAN Summit held in Hua Hin ey? Hmm... would be very interesting to see which Hotels get to hold a major meetings and consultations will take place. I heard that 215 Cars & Vehicles would be used to carry all ASEAN dignitaries and delegates around.

Wow this would be an interesting part to see The Motorcade with all them 215 Limosines heading off to Hua Hin!!!

Your's The understudy!!!

Spitfire · Post by **Spitfire** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:02 pm

I remember the one they hosted in Khon Kaen about 5-6 or so years ago and that was fairly chaotic in a city like that. Khon Kaen is well planned with wide roads etc.

HH, well, that'll be intertesting to say the least. OK, understand the security benefits of having it in HH but the practical ones are almost non-existant.

Where are they(delegates) going to stay, the Hilton, the Marriot? Interesting traffic situations will arise.

I can just imagine the posts coming in from all on the related threads. Sure there will be a few rants.

Post by **fft100** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:04 pm

thats HH effectively closed for those 4 days and the few days before hand as security will be very tight, and HH doesnt have the ring roads to divert traffic round town. And when they are moving delegations from hotels to the conference, then it will be like when the king moves, except that we will have a lot more delegations, and each one will be moving more than once a day.

Does anyone know which locations will be used for the conference ?

I suppose its one way of filling the hotels here, and the high class escort girls (who dont go to bars) from BKK will come down, but i have a feeling it will cripple the rest of the area.

elem · Post by **elem** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 9:28 pm

Don't complain -this is GOOD news for HH if it's going through...
The town can do with some more international meetings/conferences -most of us will benefit from it in the long run, if not in the short...

Post by **Norseman** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 10:43 pm

elem wrote:Don't complain -this is GOOD news for HH

-most of us will benefit from it in the long run, if not in the short...

I'm not sure if this is good news for the people who live here but I would very much like to hear what you have in mind elem.
If the meeting will generate better roads and a slightly better education for the MIB force posted here then I understand your points?
Will our small domestic airport be renamed Hua Hin International Airport because of the meeting, or will just the usual flowers pop up on all the roads leading into town?

If we will benefit from it in the long run is in my opinion highly questionable but maybe you can tell us a bit more of your thoughts.

I predict traffic chaos and blocked roads everywhere in town.
In addition a possible limitation on alcohol sale, even closed up bars.
(Heaven forbid I'm right).

I don't want to sound too negative but I can't see the lights in the end of the tunnel.
After all this is a very small town but a massive meeting!

Spitfire · Post by **Spitfire** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 10:56 pm

Beat me to it, ha ha.

They will come and go, discuss stuff that is not relevent to HH, make their presence felt to all and sundry, disrupt normal life, remind everyone of all the problems, bring Hua Hin to grid-lock etc etc.

Few local businesses will benifit, it's not like it's a rock concert etc that is running for a week. As mentioned, the expensive hookers should do well, along with the Marriot or Hilton.

Elaboration would be cool Elem, please.

Post by **redzonerocker** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 11:09 pm

i suppose it would be on a par with gordon brown moving an E.U. summit from london to ramsgate

on a more serious note, the volume of people & traffic from the participating nations will be bad enough.
add in the media reps, political groupies & the general public interest & the volume of people doubles at least

hopefully a few thousand red shirted protesters won't turn up too

or else it will be bedlam

Post by **moja** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 8:24 am

Thank goodness we leave for Ko Lanta on the 22nd and do not return until after it is all over!

Yes certain hotels and businesses will reap the benefits but the rest of us....?

Post by **Wanderlust** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 9:02 am

It wouldn't surprise me if it were held somewhere like the Evason, which although listed as Hua Hin is really more Pranburi and they would use the bypass to get to it. The Royals and numerous celebs use that resort regularly because it is out of the way; I think Joe Cole and David Beckham have both stayed there, but i don't know what conference facilities it has. It would be a much easier location to secure as well; I think the only disruption to the town would be the journalists coming to cover it who may well stay in the town centre but as far as I know they never arrive in motorcades!

Post by **buksida** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:28 pm

It could be good and bad, good because Hua Hin will get some international media and be introduced to many people that otherwise have never heard of the place.

Bad because the red shirted savages may rock up as they have promised to cause carnage. Hua Hin is majority democrat and royalist so they wont get a good reception here.

As said above it is likely to be held at one of the outside resorts that can be completely secured.

Post by **PeteC** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 2:32 pm

How about at a secure military base. Do you have any nearby with fancy digs for VIP's? Pete