PRESIDENT GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO IN THAILAND FOR ASEAN SUMMITS

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo headed the Philippine delegation to the 14th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits hosted by Thailand earlier this year. The Philippine President first went to Hua Hin, a famous beach resort town some 200 kilometers from Bangkok, to attend the 14th ASEAN Summit held at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Cha-am, Petchaburi Province on February 27 – March 1. During the Summit, she met with leaders of the nine other ASEAN countries, to discuss and exchange views on how the regional organization is to move forward, especially with the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter in December 2008.

Three other sub-themes were discussed by the ASEAN Heads of State/Government during the Summit apart from the main theme “ASEAN Charter for ASEAN Peoples.” These three sub-themes were: (1) towards more effective community building; (2) enhancing regional resilience against global threats; and (3) reinforcing ASEAN centrality in the evolving regional architecture. A number of documents, including the Cha-am Hua Hin Declaration on the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015) signed by the ASEAN Leaders, were signed or adopted by all member countries of ASEAN.

Aside from attending the Summit itself, President Arroyo, together with other ASEAN Leaders, had an audience with Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand at the Wang Klai Kang Won palace (His Majesty’s residence in Hua Hin), and met with representatives from various sectors including youth, parliamentarians, civil society, and business. She also attended the 5th Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Summit, and had a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Ambassador Antonio V. Rodriguez led a contingent of personnel from the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok to prepare for and welcome the President, Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto G. Romulo, Secretary of Trade Peter B. Favila, and the rest of the Philippine delegation in Hua Hin.

The President arrived in Thailand again on 10 April 2009 to attend the Related Summits in Pattaya. The Related Summits comprise of meetings with the Leaders of the “Plus Three” countries, Japan, China and the Republic of Korea (ROK), as well as the East Asia Summit, which include three more countries, Australia, India and New Zealand.

Due to the domestic political situation in Thailand, however, the Related Summits came to an abrupt end when members of the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) or “red shirts” stormed the Royal Cliff Beach Resort complex that was the venue of the Summits. This led to the evacuation of all 16 Leaders of East Asia and their delegations. President Arroyo was among the VIPs taken by helicopter to U-Tapao Naval Airbase, where she and her delegation then took their chartered plane onward to Dubai. The Embassy assisted the delegation and coordinated with the Thai Foreign Ministry in effecting the safe departure of the Philippine delegation from Pattaya.

The Related Summits are expected to take place later in the year, when the ASEAN and EAS members agree upon suitable dates to hold the meetings. Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has stated that a possible new date could be October, when the 15th ASEAN Summit is supposed to take place.