The Fourth East Asia Summit was rescheduled several times, had its venue changed and one attempt to hold it was cancelled due to the 2008–2009 Thai political crisis. It was finally held on 25 October 2009 in Cha-Am and Hua Hin, Thailand.
Agenda
See also: Global financial crisis of 2008–2009
World economic conditions were to have been on the agenda of the summit,[1] but by the time of the summit, the immediate crisis had passed.The summit in October 2009 was scheduled to receive a report on the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership for East Asia to potentially establish the world's largest trading bloc.[2] Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia and retired Australian diplomat Richard Woolcott were to address the summit on regional architecture and the idea of an Asia Pacific community.[3] The members were to consider India's plans for the revival of Nalanda University.
The summit was originally to be held in Bangkok on 17 December 2008. It was announced in late-October 2008 that the summit would be shifted from Bangkok to Chiang Mai due to concerns about political unrest in the capital city.[4]
It was then announced on 2 December 2008 that due to the 2008 Thai political crisis the summit would be postponed from 17 December 2008 to March 2009.[5] On 12 December 2008 Abhisit Vejjajiva indicated that if he became the next prime minister of Thailand he would seek to hold the summit in February 2009.[6]
In January 2009 it was announced that, although the ASEAN Summit had been scheduled for 27 February 2009 to 1 March 2009, those dates were not convenient for the ASEAN delegates[7] and that the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Plus Three meetings would be held later.
The re-scheduling of the heads of government/state of the 16 nations caused the EAS to be tentatively re-scheduled for April, coinciding with Easter.[8][9] The revised date meant that a change of venue from Phuket to Pattaya was contemplated.[10] The revised date and venue were subsequently confirmed.[11] The venue was to be the Pattaya Exhibition and Conference Hall (PEACH).
It was also announced that India would be represented at the summit by Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath, not its prime minister.[12]
