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BANGKOK - THAILAND may move a key summit of Southeast Asian nations away from the capital amid ongoing political unrest, a foreign ministry official said on Thursday.
The 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is due to meet in Bangkok in December but alternative provinces are being considered following months of mass rallies by anti-government demonstrators who have occupied government office grounds in the capital.
'The government has looked at several options so it is possible that the venue may change,' foreign ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat told AFP.
'But, so far, the venue is still to be as scheduled in Bangkok.'
Local media reported that Chiang Mai in the north of the kingdom was under consideration as an alternative.
The protests, aimed at overthrowing the populist government and supported by the country's urban elite, have forced Thailand's government to work out of a disused airport terminal in recent weeks.
The 14th annual summit of Asean nations is scheduled to take place at a central hotel in Bangkok from December 14-18.
Asean consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. -- AFP
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