Vietnam is pruning the capital city of Hanoi to host the 16th Association of South East Asian Nations, or ASEAN, where economic issues, Burma's elections and Thailand's crippling protests are high on the agenda.

The summit will bring together leaders of the ASEAN nations which include Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Burma, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei and the Philippines. The talks will take place from April 8-9.

Burma, due to hold its first elections in two decades, will again test ASEAN's consensus given the member countries’ diverse political systems.

The Thai political crisis has raised concerns among the ASEAN members. Red-shirted supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra have been camping out on Bangkok's streets for more than three weeks to demand snap elections.

Backed by Thailand's powerful military and royalist establishment, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said a peaceful poll now would be difficult. Instead he has offered to dissolve parliament in December, a year early.

Vietnam, the chairman for the regional talks, says ASEAN does not want to intervene in the internal affairs of Thailand but hopes for stability.

[Pham Quang Vinh, Vietnam Foreign Ministry]:
"Vietnam wishes the situation in Thailand will soon stabilize to ensure Thailand's development and prosperity. As we hold the ASEAN chairmanship, we consider this an internal affair for Thailand. We respect the decision of Thailand and our only wish is that Thailand will soon stabilize so they can develop their economy and build the country."

Elections in Burma will be discussed in the regional talks. ASEAN hopes the election will bring change toward democracy, but critics said Burma's legislature will be dominated by the military and their civilian allies, with limited representation from opposition parties.

Rights activists in Thailand say ASEAN leaders should be tougher on Burma.

[Yap Swee Sen, Director of Forum-Asia]:
"Then I think it is time for ASEAN to consider sanctions, for instance, suspension of the membership of Burma from the organization so that it will improve the situation in Burma in order to comply with the vision of the ASEAN, otherwise, ASEAN as the regional body would be irrelevant because it would be deemed as not able to solve problem and issues in its own yard."

Burma's last election in 1990 ended with a landslide win for Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party, but the junta ignored the result and has since jailed more than 2,000 activists and political opponents, many for minor offenses.

Suu Kyi herself has been under house arrest or other sorts of detention for 14 of the last 20 years.

Ministers and leaders will also consider winding down emergency stimulus policies they adopted during the global financial crisis, without jeopardizing recovery in the fast-growing region.