The government on Monday announced its readiness to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders' Meeting and other related gatherings on Nov 18-19.
Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister and acting government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri on Monday affirmed Thailand's readiness to host the annual leaders and other meetings and that all necessary security would be in place.
The Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) will be the main venue of the meetings.
At the same time, he said the gala dinner in honour of the Apec economic leaders and their spouses would be held at the Royal Thai Navy Convention Hall.
"All the relevant agencies have been working hard to ensure Thailand is prepared to host the annual Apec Economic Leaders' Meeting and related meetings," he said.
He said the Metropolitan Police Bureau, responsible for safety and security, conducted emergency and crisis response drills for the gathering from Sept 16-20.
The gala dinner has also been planned in line with the Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model (BCG), which is the key concept of Apec 2022, he said.
The menu has been designed by Chef Chumpol Jangprai. The food and drink have been carefully selected to showcase the creativity and authenticity of Thai cuisine, using high-quality ingredients sourced from community enterprises across the country.
He said that gala dinner tables would be decorated with handicrafts and products from the Support Foundation Of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother.
Mr Anucha also said the government and relevant agencies had worked hand-in-hand to ensure the summit and related meetings proceed smoothly.
"This will be a good opportunity to present Thailand's uniqueness and diverse cultures on the global stage. Therefore, the government would like to call on Thai people to be good hosts and welcome Apec's economic leaders and spouses with friendship and hospitality," he said.
Meanwhile, the anti-government Thalufah group on Monday delivered letters to the embassies of several Apec member countries to bring to their attention what they claimed was the unjust detention of political activists ahead of the summit in November.
The group presented letters to the embassies of Vietnam, New Zealand, the US, Japan, Mexico, Singapore and Australia on Monday.
Thalufah said it wanted to reiterate its calls for basic freedoms and to express views that are different from the government's freely.
It said the aim of the letters was to let the embassies know Thailand as host of the Apec summit, was only paying lip service to democracy.
The group said 22 anti-government protesters, mostly youths, were currently being detained.
