Security is high along Ratchadamri Road as heads of ASEAN member states arrive in Bangkok for their 34th summit to discuss a raft of regional issues and pose for those awkward, cross-armed handshakes.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Malaysian PM Mahathir Bin Mohamad and Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi are among those attending this weekend’s meeting in Thailand, which currently chairs the 10-nation bloc. Witthayu Road will be closed Saturday and Sunday between the Phloen Chit and Sarasin intersections.
While such summits are known for projecting displays of comity over substance, some real issues, such as the atrocities carried out against Myanmar’s Rohingya population are sure to be brought up by other members, especially those from Muslim-majority nations.
Dozens of Thai protesters holding signs reading “No Space for Waste” and Greenpeace activists rallied Thursday to demand they ban trash imports to Southeast Asia. Plastic waste has flooded the region ever since China stopped importing foreign trash last year.
#Breaking Greenpeace activists together with coalitions demanding ASEAN leaders to use ASEAN Summit to declare an immediate region-wide ban on plastic waste imports, including trash being sent here under the guise of recycling. #NoSpaceForWaste #อาเซียนไม่ใช่ถังขยะโลก pic.twitter.com/x6ShxfhZBO
— Greenpeace Thailand (@greenpeaceth) June 20, 2019
Coming on the heels of a flawed election that secured its junta leader’s grip on power, Thailand is anxious to play the stable host and loathe to see a repeat of the last time it chaired ASEAN a decade ago, when political street unrest forced it to cancel the summit and send everyone home early. Thailand is also hoping to see full relations restored by the United States, which downgraded them and cut off aid following the 2014 coup.
Bangkok has been watching Hong Kong convulse with a democratic uprising in recent weeks and pleaded publicly for a display of “unity,”though there doesn’t seem to be serious efforts to organize mass protests or disrupt this weekend’s proceedings.
The leaders are sure to discuss the economic fallout of the Sino-American trade war, which is hurting exports. Related topics are likely to include increasing economic integration while preserving its model of “no meddling.”
The meeting is being held at the Athenee Hotel, with meetings scheduled for Saturday between the heads of state, their foreign and economic ministers, and other industry reps.
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