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锘?!DOCTYPE html PUBliC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>Thai Government Upheaval Forces Postponement of ASEAN Summit - VOA Standard English In 2008</title><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta content="all" name="robots"/><meta content="VOA Standard English In 2008, Thai Government Upheaval Forces Postponement of ASEAN Summit" name="description" /><meta content="VOA Standard English In 2008" name="keywords" /><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/images/style.css" /><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/images/text-small.css" title="Small Text" /><link rel="alternate stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/images/text-medium.css" title="Medium Text" /><link rel="alternate stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/images/text-large.css" title="Large Text" /></head><body><div><img id="logo" src="/images/voa.gif" alt="VOA" /></div><div id="nav"><a title="VOA" href="http://www.51voa.com/"><b>缇庡浗涔嬮煶</b></a> > <a href="http://www.51voa.com/VOA_Standard_English/index.html">VOA Standard English</a> > <a href="http://www.51voa.com/VOA_Standard_1.html">VOA Standard English In 2008</a> <script type="text/javascript" src="/images/notice.js"></script></div><div id="leftMainContainer"><div id="leftNav"><div class="leftN_title">VOA Standard English</div><ul><li><a href="/VOA_Standard_1.html">VOA Standard English <img src=/images/new.gif border=0></a></li> <li><a href="/VOA_Standard_1_archiver.html">VOA Standard English Archives </a></li> </ul><div class="leftN_title">VOA Special English</div><ul><li><a href="/Development_Report_1.html">Development Report</a></li><li><a href="/This_is_America_1.html">This is America</a></li><li><a href="/Agriculture_Report_1.html">Agriculture Report</a></li><li><a href="/Science_in_the_News_1.html">Science in the News</a></li><li><a href="/Health_Report_1.html">Health Report</a></li><li><a href="/Explorations_1.html">Explorations</a></li><li><a href="/Education_Report_1.html">Education Report</a></li><li><a href="/The_Making_of_a_Nation_1.html">The Making of a Nation</a></li><li><a href="/Economics_Report_1.html">Economics Report</a></li><li><a href="/American_Mosaic_1.html">American Mosaic</a></li><li><a href="/In_the_News_1.html">In the News</a></li><li><a href="/American_Stories_1.html">American Stories</a></li><li><a href="/Words_And_Their_Stories_1.html">Words And Their Stories</a></li><li><a href="/People_in_America_1.html">People in America</a></li></ul><div class="leftN_title">VOA English Learning</div><ul><li><a href="/Word_Master_1.html">Wordmaster</a></li><li><a href="/Learn_A_Word_1.html">Learn A Word</a></li><li><a href="/Bilingual_News_1.html">Bilingual News</a></li><li><a href="/American_Cafe_1.html">American Cafe</a></li><li><a href="/Popular_American_1.html">Popular American</a></li><li><a href="/Business_Etiquette_1.html">Business Etiquette</a></li><li><a href="/Sports_English_1.html">Sports English</a></li><li><a href="/Words_And_Idioms_1.html">Words And Idioms</a></li><li><a href="/Intermediate_American_English_1.html">Intermediate American English</a></li></ul></div><div id="rightContainer"><span class="title">Thai Government Upheaval Forces Postponement of ASEAN Summit</span><div id="contentAds"><script type="text/javascript"><!--google_ad_client = "pub-3585518775245612";/* 51VOAContent */google_ad_slot = "4281465902";google_ad_width = 336;google_ad_height = 280;//--></script><script type="text/javascript"src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script></div><span id="content"><EMBED src="/path.asp?url=/200812/LCR%20Dawson%20Thai%20ASEAN%202351038%20sw.mp3" width=280 height=40 type="audio/x-pn-realaudio-plugin" autostart="false" Controls="ControlPanel" tppabs=""></EMBED><BR><a href="/path.asp?url=/200812/LCR%20Dawson%20Thai%20ASEAN%202351038%20sw.mp3" class="wwmp3">» Download Audio</a><BR><BR><span class="byline"> By Kate Pound Dawson</span> <br> <span class="dateline">Bangkok</span><br> <span class="datetime"><em>02 December 2008</em></span><br><p>Thailand has postponed a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders, which was to begin later this month, after a court ruled that the Thai prime minister and his party are banned from politics<b>. </b><b>Anti-government activists in Thailand have agreed to end protests that have paralyzed Bangkok's airports, after Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat accepted a court ruling barring him from politics. VOA's Kate Pound Dawson reports from Bangkok. </b><br><br>The annual summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations now will be held in March. The gathering had been scheduled to start preliminary meetings December 13. Heads of government were to start discussions on the 15.<br><br><table class="APIMAGE" style="direction: ltr;" align="right" width="190"><tbody><tr><td style=""><img id="||CPIMAGE:583363|" title="Somchai Wongsawat, left, talks to reporters after court dissolves ruling party and bans him from politics, in Chiang Mai, 02 Dec 2008 " alt="Somchai Wongsawat, left, talks to reporters after court dissolves ruling party and bans him from politics, in Chiang Mai, 02 Dec 2008 " src="/images/200812/AFP-Thailand-PM-Somchai-Wongsawat-190.jpg" border="0" vspace="2" width="190" height="190" hspace="2"></td></tr><tr><td style="" class="imagecaption">Somchai Wongsawat, left, talks to reporters after court dissolves ruling party and bans him from politics, in Chiang Mai, 02 Dec 2008 </td></tr></tbody></table>The Thai government announced the postponement shortly after a constitutional court ruled that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and his People Power Party would be banned from politics for election law violations. An interim government will operate until members of parliament can select a new prime minister.</p><p>Summit delay could complicate charter efforts<br><br>Thitinan Pongsudhirak is an international relations professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. He says the delay could complicate ASEAN's efforts to finalize its first charter. The charter aims to create an ASEAN community that would more closely integrate the 10 members.<br><br>"This is something that ASEAN sees as its way of integration and going forward into the global arena. But the postponement will hinder this process and there will be questions from Thailand's neighbors in ASEAN whether Thailand is prepared to the host, the chair of ASEAN in the next 18 months," said Thitinan.<br><br><table class="APIMAGE" style="direction: ltr;" align="right" width="190"><tbody><tr><td style=""><img id="||CPIMAGE:583464|" title="Anti-goverment protester mans barricade along main highway to Suvarnabhumi Airport, early 02 Dec 2008, in Bangkok<br /><br />" alt="Anti-goverment protester mans barricade along main highway to Suvarnabhumi Airport, early 02 Dec 2008, in Bangkok<br /><br />" src="/images/200812/ap_thailand_protester_airport_02dec08_eng_175.jpg" border="0" vspace="2" width="190" height="190" hspace="2"></td></tr><tr><td style="" class="imagecaption">Anti-government protester mans barricade along main highway to Suvarnabhumi Airport, early 02 Dec 2008, in Bangkok<br><br></td></tr></tbody></table>Airport closure bothersome for Thailand's neighbors</p><p>The closure of Bangkok's two airports by anti-government protesters already has caused some strain between Thailand and its neighbors. The international airport is one of the largest in the world and serves as an important transit hub for dozens of flights into and out of Southeast Asia.<br><br>Thitinan says the closure adds to the strain on Thailand's regional reputation.<br> <br>"Because Thailand has been such a nexus of transport in the region, it certainly has affected relations with its neighbors and it also would hinder trade and investment prospects because Thailand plays such a key role as a hub," said Thitinan.</p><p>Tourists stranded, flights canceled because of protests<br><br>The week-long blockade of the airports has stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers and forced hundreds of flights to be rerouted or canceled. Thitinan says the closure also caused friction with some European countries, because so many of their citizens have been stranded. Although the protesters agreed to end the blockades, Tuesday, airport authorities say it will be days before full operations resume.<br><br><table class="APIMAGE" style="direction: ltr;" align="left" width="144"><tbody><tr><td style=""><img id="||CPIMAGE:582017|" title="Thai police man a checkpoint near the Suvarnabhumi airport compound Sunday 30 Nov. 2008 in Bangkok Thailand" alt="Thai police man a checkpoint near the Suvarnabhumi airport compound Sunday 30 Nov. 2008 in Bangkok Thailand" src="/images/200812/AP_Thailand_anti-gov_protests_30nov08.jpg" border="0" vspace="2" width="144" height="195" hspace="2"></td></tr><tr><td style="" class="imagecaption">Thai police man a checkpoint near the Suvarnabhumi airport compound Sunday 30 Nov. 2008 in Bangkok <br></td></tr></tbody></table>The protesters, led by the People's Alliance for Democracy, demanded Mr. Somchai's ouster before they would consider ending the blockades. They accuse him of acting as a proxy for his brother-in-law, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Mr. Shinawatra was ousted in a coup, two years ago, and has fled the country to avoid corruption charges. <br><br>ASEAN'S other nine members are: Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. <br><br></p> </span><div id="list"><ol><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26750.html" target=_blank>IAEA Calls for Investment in Plant Breeding Technology</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26749.html" target=_blank>Zimbabwe Relief Agencies Ramp Up Efforts to Combat Cholera</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26748.html" target=_blank>Iraqi Court Sentences Saddam Cousin 'Chemical Ali' to Death</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26747.html" target=_blank>Former Communists Claim Romanian Elections</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26746.html" target=_blank>Pakistan Offers to Help Investigate Mumbai Terror Attack</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26745.html" target=_blank>Mumbai Terrorists Aided by Security Lapses, Technology</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26744.html" target=_blank>Automakers Pledge Restructuring in New Bid for Loans</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26743.html" target=_blank>Somalia Refugees Stressing Kenya Aid Agencies</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26742.html" target=_blank>Ugandan Peacekeepers to Stay in Somalia</A></LI><LI><A href="VOA_Standard_English_26741.html" target=_blank>Nigerian Army Says Order Restored in Stricken City</A></LI></ol></div><div class="clearing"></div></div><div class="clearing"></div><div id="footer">© 2001-2008 Powered by <a href="http://www.51voa.com">51VOA.Com</a> <div id="topAds"><script language=javascript src="/topAds.js"></script></div> <div id="count"><script language=javascript src="/count.js"></script></div></div></body></html>⌨️ 快捷键说明
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