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.

KUALA LUMPUR - A VETERAN Malaysian lawmaker warned on Sunday the opposition alliance was suffering from a 'bout of loss of public confidence' after it enjoyed unprecedented success in national polls last year.

The Pakatan Rakyat alliance seized control of a third of seats in parliament in the 2008 elections, dealing the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition its worst results in the half-century it has governed Malaysia.

MANILA - AN ELDERLY Irish Roman Catholic priest abducted in the southern Philippines two weeks ago by suspected Muslim separatists is likely still alive but may be unwell, his superiors told AFP on Sunday.