THE annual summit of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) due to be held in Chaing Mai next month is facing postponement because of the ongoing political crisis in Thailand.

The ASEAN secretariat said last Thursday that it was not sure whether the meeting would go ahead as planned from December 15 to 18.

“Queries have surfaced as to whether the 14th ASEAN Summit will be held as originally scheduled in mid December in Chiang Mai, Thailand,” a statement from ASEAN said.

“The secretary general of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, is currently on his way to clarify this matter with Thailand, which currently holds the chairmanship of ASEAN.

“The ASEAN secretariat will issue a statement once there is a definite clarification on this matter,” the statement said.

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mr Veerinthira Nathongbor told AFP last Thursday that it was still planning to hold the summit as scheduled.

“The government confirms Thailand will go ahead and host the ASEAN summit in Chaing Mai and have declared December 15 to 18 as holidays in the city to enable people to host the summit,” Mr Veerinthira said.

However, a number of ASEAN governments last week said they would ask for postponement of the meeting if the political situation in Thailand continued to deteriorate.

Bangkok has been the scene of anti-government protest since August, and the city’s two airports were forced to shut down last week due to the unrest.

The prime ministers of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia said after their meeting in Vientiane last Thursday that they would consult with Mr Surin and the government of Thailand on the possibility of postponing the summit, AFP reported.

A Malaysian government spokesperson also told AFP that the summit could be delayed if the Thai political crisis continues.

“As of the moment there has not been any develop-ment on (a postponement or cancellation), but the current developments taking place in Bangkok are cause for concern,” the spokesperson said.

Singaporean Foreign Minister Mr George Yeo agreed that the political situation could affect the summit.

“The situation appears rather confused,” Mr Yeo was quoted as saying by Straits Times newspaper.

“I am worried that the ASEAN summit will be affected.”