IN YET another change for the Asean summit, Thai Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that it would be moved to a seaside town - just a day after the Thai Foreign Ministry had insisted it would be held in Bangkok.

Slated to take place from Feb 27 to March 1, the 14th Asean summit will now be held at Hua Hin, about 200km south of Bangkok.

The change comes after anti-government protesters vowed to derail the summit in Bangkok, where the government had on Tuesday said it would hold the meeting.

'We selected Hua Hin because we are worried about the 'red shirt' group,' Mr Abhisit said, referring to supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. 'Security officials have advised that it will be easier for security issues.'

Hua Hin is the third summit venue to be announced after political troubles hit Bangkok. Meant to be held last month, the summit was first moved to the city of Chiang Mai, then postponed.

Significantly, the beachside town is the habitual home of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, whom the Thais revere greatly.

'Using Hua Hin is a shrewd move,' said former Asean secretary-general Ong Keng Yong. 'It is where the Thai King spends most of his time these days. The Thai demonstrators will have to be mindful of taking their protests to the location of a royal convalescence and retreat.'

Still, the latest change is likely to raise questions about Thailand's ability as the current Asean chair to host the summit, which would have capped the recent coming into force of the Asean Charter, a framework document that aims to turn the bloc into a more rules-based organisation.

The delays have already affected Asean's agenda: Meetings with regional partners such as China, Japan and India - which usually take place at the summit - will now be held separately because some of the leaders are not available on the new dates. Mr Abhisit said these meetings would be held in late April.

Some have suggested that the absence of major powers could weaken the summit, but Mr Ong pointed out that the new charter provides for two summits a year.

'Better sooner than later,' he said. 'Rescheduling Asean events at the leadership level is a challenging task. If we can get the 10 leaders, then we should just proceed with the meeting now; the other meetings can take place later under the new format.'

Additional information from Agence France-Presse, Reuters