HUA HIN (Thailand) - MASSIVE security and better planning allowed Thailand to stage a trouble-free Asian summit, observers said on Sunday, saving face for the politically turbulent kingdom after a series of fiascos.

Thailand's image as a tourist paradise was tarnished after one of two earlier attempts to stage the meeting over the past year ended with protesters storming the venue and foreign leaders being evacuated by helicopter.

But a giant army and police presence around the upmarket beach resort of Hua Hin this weekend allowed VIPs to meet away from the threat of violence and further demonstrations.

'I think everyone came here expecting the worst because there were so many imponderables, but Thailand pulled it off,' one Bangkok-based ambassador told AFP. 'Everyone is very happy for Thailand.'

This weekend Thailand deployed around 18,000 troops and police on the streets in and around Hua Hin, backed up by dozens of armoured vehicles, all operating under harsh internal security laws invoked by the government. Road blocks forced traffic in the sprawling resort into tortuous diversions as lanes were closed off to allow diplomatic convoys free passage.

Michael Nelson, a specialist in Thai politics at Chulalongkorn University said the government had been ready this time around. 'Last time they were unprepared,' he told AFP. 'This time you can see a lot of preparations (for example) the number of soldiers and policemen. They were properly organised and it shows.' -- AFP

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