Asean vents concerns over Thai crisis focus 05/14/2010

Asean vents concerns over Thai crisis

focus 05/14/2010 HANOI — Southeast Asian leaders have raised concerns about regional stability in the wake of Thailand’s political crisis, in what observers say is the latest sign the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc is slowly easing its policy of non-interference in the affairs of member states. Weeks of mass rallies by “Red Shirt” anti-government protesters have paralyzed parts of Bangkok, and erupted into bouts of violence that left 29 persons dead and 1,000 injured, the deadliest civil unrest in two decades. Vietnam, which currently chairs the Asean, told Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya last week that stability in the kingdom was also in the “common interest” of its neighbors. As chair Vietnam had to say something about the crisis, but critics might argue it could have gone further, said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore (ISEAS)....MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100514com3.html

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