Thailand’s new Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Thailand has postponed its hosting of next month’s BIMSTEC summit of the leaders of seven mostly South Asian countries until after a new administration is formed, its foreign ministry said on Friday (August 23, 2024).

Thailand currently has a caretaker government following a court’s dismissal of Srettha Thavisin as Premier last week and his successor, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, has yet to name her cabinet.

The summit had been due to take place in Bangkok from September 3-4. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) includes Thailand, India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan and its leaders meet every two years for a summit.