The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, is holding it's 13th annual summit next week in Singapore. The leaders from the group's 10-member nations are arriving under tight security for five days of meetings that begin on Sunday. VOA's Frances Alonzo reports from Singapore.

The summit is expected to be the largest ever ASEAN meeting, with more than 1,000 delegates from 43 countries. The city has been awash in strict security measures.

Roads are closed around the meeting site as well as the hotels housing the delegates. Vehicles and ordinary members of the public are subject to random checks near those areas. The police presence in Singapore is not as visible in the main shopping areas but is described as massive with more than 2,000 officers deployed around the city.

This taxi driver, frustrated at the increased security that has made it difficult to get around the city, expressed pride in his country's selection to host the summit, saying, "Singapore (is) economically stable. The politics for over 40 years has never changed. The security is very tight. No wonder they (ASEAN) chose Singapore."

At meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, it is standard practice for demonstators to be given a separate, restricted area for protests. However, no provisions, like that have been made here. Officials instead, determined to ensure a peaceful and safe atmosphere, have instructed groups to get official approval to hold assemblies, as they are called, indoors.

This is especially significant in deterring rallies against ASEAN member, Burma. There have been worldwide protests against the Burmese military crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in September that killed at least 15 people. Burma's new prime minister is scheduled to arrive on Monday.

Burma and other issues such as climate change are high on ASEAN's agenda.

The diplomatic meetings culminate on Tuesday as the regional group marks it's 40th anniversary with the signing of the ASEAN Charter by the leaders of the 10 member states. This new charter puts the group on track to set up a free trade zone by 2015.