ASEAN meeting to focus on economy
Delegates attending the Association of southeast Asian Nations summit this year in Thailand's seaside
resort town of Hua Hin are expected to put the economic slump at the top of the meeting's agenda, while
human rights issues will only be on the sidelines. Burma is likely to dodge criticism from its neighbors about
its refusal to comply with the United Nations'demand to release political detainees, including its high-
profile prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi. Host country Thailand might also be able to steer the spotlight away
from the Thai army's alleged mistreatment of Rohingya refugees. ASEAN is hopeful that it will be able to 2establish a single market within the region by 2015 and achieve what the European Union has. However,
leaders of some member countries are doubtful much will be achieved without help from China, Japan and
Korea. The summit was originally scheduled for December in Bangkok, but had to be postponed because of
the political turmoil in Thailand and the closure of the country's largest international airport