Out in force - 20,000 security personnel are in Thailand's town of Hua Hin as preparations for ASEAN are underway.

Leaders will descend on the seaside town for Friday's meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations to talk trade, security, and disaster relief.

Then by Sunday the summit will branch out and include other regional powers, from China and Japan to India and Australia.

Security is paramount.

Using explosive scanners, a disposal squad is now patrolling the summit venue on a 24-hour basis.

The police are conducting road searches to ensure protesters are kept away from the high-level meetings, which Thailand is determined to complete after a series of embarrassing mishaps.

The April summit was cancelled after protesters poured into the meeting venue.

Thailand is embroiled in a four-year political crisis in which supporters of exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra regularly take the streets demanding the resignation of the present Prime Minister, Abhisit.

The government has said all rallies will be banned during the weekend summit and they're hoping the beefed-up security will keep it that way.