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BANGKOK: Thailand has again switched the venue of a long-delayed meeting of Southeast Asian leaders and key regional counterparts, saying on Thursday it would now be held in the beach resort of Pattaya.
The change comes just a week after the southern tourist isle of Phuket was named to host the April 10-12 summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders plus China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and India.
The conference was originally due to be held in Bangkok in December, but was postponed after anti-government protesters besieged the city's airports and has since been repeatedly rescheduled.
"We have made a decision that the summit should be held in Pattaya," Thai foreign ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat told AFP, adding that it would likely be held at the town's plush Royal Cliff Beach Hotel.
"The problem in Phuket was that many hotels were booked by tourists and therefore the available rooms were scattered around. We are trying to use only one hotel, for security reasons," he said.
Another regional summit was held outside Bangkok last month due to fears of rallies against the current government, led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, although protesters did not disrupt the meeting.
Abhisit came to power in December after months of protests against the previous government loyal to ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, which peaked with the blockade of Bangkok's airports late last year.
The airport siege cost Thailand billions of dollars in economic damage and also harmed its status as a tourist destination.
Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn denied that next month's meeting was also taking place outside Bangkok to avoid demonstrations by Thaksin's supporters.
"Protests are not factor in this case as... the protesters promised and proved that they will not obstruct ASEAN summits," Panitan told AFP.
He said that the main reasons were to ensure to security for the summit and to avoid further snarling up Bangkok's notorious traffic with the motorcades of 16 leaders.
He added: It's unlikely that the venue would be changed again," he added.
Pattaya, less than 150 kilometres (93 miles) south of Bangkok, is one of Thailand's most popular seaside resorts but has only just begun to cultivate a more family-friendly image after years as a magnet for sex tourists.
The town is also known as the venue for the annual Miss Queen International contest, a pageant to find the world's most beautiful transsexual – although that too was postponed last year due to the political unrest.
"Pattaya can restore its image if it continues to host successful international meetings – similar to Las Vegas which used to be 'sin city' but is now a family destination," Panitan said.
- AFP/so
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