ASEAN summit shies away from Thai veg fest, piercings

August 15th, 2009 BANGKOK - China and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Saturday signed an investment pact that provides guarantees against nationalisation, riots and disputes and is expected to boost investment. "The ASEAN-China Investment Agreement is expected to boost bilateral investments by 40 to 60 percent over the next two years," Thai Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai said after inking the pact with Chinese Commerce Minister Chen De-ming.

July 23rd, 2009 PHUKET - Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi were in this Thai island resort for Asias security forum meeting, but they just exchanged greetings and left bilateral talks for their interaction on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in September.

July 22nd, 2009 PHUKET - At the meeting of foreign ministers of the ASEAN and East Asia region here Wednesday, India reminded the world of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the recent Jakarta bombings, as it pressed for greater intelligence sharing and an early adoption of a UN convention on international terrorism to defeat the scourge. Imparting a fresh impetus to India's Look East policy, External Affairs Minister S.M.

July 22nd, 2009 PHUKET - India Wednesday made a strong pitch for a pan-Asian response to global challenges like financial meltdown and terrorism as it gets ready to sign a free trade area (FTA) agreement in goods at its next summit with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Thailand in October. "The steady diversification of our relationship with ASEAN countries is, therefore, a natural process and for us, a matter of deep satisfaction," India's External Affairs Minister S.M.

July 22nd, 2009 PHUKET - Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Wednesday held talks here with his counterparts from 16 countries of the East Asia Summit (EAS), setting the stage for India's seventh summit with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in October.

July 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Tuesday left for the Thai island resort of Phuket to attend Asia's biggest annual security gathering that will be dominated by terrorism, the North Korean nuclear issue and the global financial crisis.

July 20th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Hours after their meeting in the Indian capital, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will Tuesday head separately to Thailand to attend Asia's top security forum that will be dominated by terrorism, the North Korean nuclear issue and the global financial crisis.

July 19th, 2009 PHUKET - South-East Asian foreign ministers Sunday agreed to set up a regional human rights commission, even as they noted that some members' coolness to the idea meant it would start off lacking the ability to investigate or monitor abuses by members. The new commission would thus initially be tasked with raising awareness of human rights and engaging with civil society while seeking regional solutions to problems.

July 16th, 2009 BANGKOK - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will sign pacts with the ASEAN countries for the US accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia when she meets the foreign ministers of the grouping July 23. This will be Clinton's first visit to Thailand after she became the top diplomat of the US administration in January this year.

April 26th, 2009 Thai PM suggests postponed summit will be in JuneBANGKOK — Thailand's prime minister said Sunday he hopes a regional summit meeting will be rescheduled for June after it was canceled earlier this month when anti-government protests stormed the venue. Abhisit Vejjajiva, speaking in his weekly radio and television address to the nation, said the rescheduling of the meeting of government leaders in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is now being coordinated among the 15 other countries involved.

April 12th, 2009 BANGKOK - Thailand's government declared a state of emergency in Bangkok Sunday after arresting a leader of protests that forced the cancellation of an ASEAN summit the day before. Prime Minister Vejjajiva Abhisit said the government took the decision because the problems threatening stability were escalating.

April 12th, 2009 BANGKOK - Beleaguered Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has tipped off legal action against protesters who forced the cancellation of the ASEAN summit. Vejjajiva claimed that the protesters' drive against him was illegal, and declared that pressure from "enemies of Thailand" could not make him quit.

January 25th, 2009 BANGKOK - A free trade agreement (FTA) between India and South-East Asia will be signed at the upcoming summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) if the Thai parliament approves the pact, officials said Monday. 'The ASEAN economic ministers have invited the Indian commerce minister to sign the FTA Feb 26,' said Tharit Charungvat, Thai foreign ministry spokesman.

January 24th, 2009 BANGKOK - A free trade agreement between India and South-east Asia is expected to be signed at the upcoming summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean), state-run media reported Sunday. Director-general Apiradi Tantraporn of Thailand's Foreign Trade Department said the pact was planned for the 14th Asean Summit scheduled Feb 27-March 1 at Hua Hin beach resort, 130 km south-west of Bangkok, the Thai News Agency reported.

January 6th, 2009 BANGKOK - Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Wednesday announced that the 14th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will be held in Hua Hin town and not in the Thai capital as planned earlier. He said the decision to shift the venue was taken in view of security reasons.