Officials blast plan as insult to Thai integrity
By: POST REPORTERS
Senior security officials have raised objections to the government's plan to allow regional leaders to bring their own armed bodyguards to the rescheduled Asean summit, set to be held in Phuket next month.
The proposal would deal a heavy blow to the country's integrity and security image, said a high-level source who attended a meeting of senior officials yesterday to discuss security preparations for the coming summit.
The meeting at the armed forces headquarters was chaired by army chief of staff Ratchakrit Kanchanawat.
The source said two security plans were under way, one named Thep Satree-Sri Sunthorn 52 and the other Phuket 09.
The summit's security plans will be proposed to the Internal Security Operations Command before the 2008 Internal Security Act is invoked to secure Phuket for the meeting's duration, tentatively scheduled for June 13-14.
The plans will then be scrutinised by diplomats from countries attending the summit.
Thailand is also seeking confirmation from countries attending the meeting of the date and venue of the summit.
Cambodian ambassador to Thailand You Ay yesterday said Phnom Penh supported any decision by the Thai government.
Yesterday's security meeting resolved that the Asean leaders' request to bring their own armed guards to the summit was unacceptable.
The only foreign armed guards to ever set foot in Thailand were those accompanying US presidents, the source said.
Any compromise would be at the expense of Thailand's security image. If foreign bodyguards come to the summit, officials at the meeting said they must be unarmed and in limited numbers.
The security officials understood why the Asean leaders made the request to bring their own bodyguards to the Phuket meeting, after red shirt protesters forced the closure of last month's Asean summit in Pattaya, the source said.
The meeting's outcomes contradicted Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban's comments that the government does not mind the region's leaders bringing armed guards to Phuket.
Mr Suthep yesterday told parliament the presence of the foreign armed guards must comply with international standards.
The two security plans drawn up for the Phuket summit will be vetted by the Defence Ministry which is tasked with executing them.
It was reported that at least 10,000 security forces personnel would be deployed to protect the summit's venue.
Authorities vowed to toughen security in Phuket by setting up cordons around the meeting's venue, the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa.
The armed forces and local police will manage the security operation.
Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has been appointed to chair the panel that will oversee the summit's security.
Troops from Bangkok and the 1st Region will be sent to Phuket to join the Southern Army Command as part of the plan, an army source said.
Invoking the Internal Security Act in Phuket would not inconvenience residents or tourists, Mr Suthep said.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva earlier criticised Arisman Pongruengrong, a core member of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, for threatening to disrupt the Phuket summit.
But Wisut Tangwitayaporn, the local UDD leader, said his group would not take any action to disrupt the summit meetings.
Source: Bangkok Post
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