Canada's PM To Visit Thailand, Japan And South Korea

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Canada's PM to visit Thailand, Japan and South Korea

OTTAWA, March 21, 2012 (AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will travel to Thailand and Japan for trade talks this week before attending a nuclear summit in Seoul, his office announced Tuesday.

The prime minister will be accompanied by his foreign affairs and trade ministers, as well as a delegation of business executives.

Harper will also discuss illegal human smuggling with Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Thailand was a staging point for migrant ships bringing Tamil asylum seekers to Canada in recent years.

On March 25-26, Harper will make his third visit to Japan, Canada's fifth largest trading partner.

"We are interested in boosting trade, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. That's why we're going on this trip on the heels of a China trip," said Harper's spokesman Andrew MacDougall.

Harper visited China last month.

In South Korea on March 26-27, Harper will join leaders of 53 other nations for a nuclear security summit.

Topping the agenda will be the problems of securing loose nuclear material and dealing with "rogue nations such as Iran and North Korea," MacDougall said.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-03-21

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Canadian prime minister visits Thailand this week

BANGKOK, March 21 -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will pay an official visit from Thursday through Saturday (March 22-24) to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

The visit, at the invitation of Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Canada as well as the 35th anniversary of Canada’s relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of which Thailand is a member.

Mr Harper is promoting Canada as an investment destination of choice and will discuss cooperation between the two countries in combating human smuggling and terrorism in the region.

The Canadian premier will be officially welcomed Friday at Government House, followed by a meeting with Ms Yingluck.

The topics of discussion will include issues of mutual interest, including trade and investment, energy, education, and security cooperation as well as ASEAN-Canada cooperation. Ms Yingluck will host a luncheon in Mr Harper’s honour at Santi Maitri Building in the Government House compound.

Mr Harper’s official visit not only commemorates the 50th anniversary of Thai-Canadian diplomatic relations, but reaffirms the long-lasting and cordial relations between the two countries.

Thailand, as the country coordinator of ASEAN-Canada relations during 2009-2012, will also take this opportunity to highlight the auspicious occasion of the 35th Anniversary of ASEAN-Canada dialogue relations this year.

The Thailand visit was part of Mr Harper's Asian tour that will take him to Japan Sunday and Monday (March 25-26) and to the South Korean capital on Monday and Tuesday (March 26-27) where he will participate in the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-03-21

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THAI-CANADA RELATIONS

Canadian PM to arrive in Thailand tomorrow

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will pay an official three-day visit to Thailand, starting tomorrow, at the invitation of his Thai counterpart to strengthen bilateral relations.

The visit will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of mutual diplomatic relations as well as the 35th anniversary of Canada's relationship with the Asean grouping of which Thailand is a member.

Harper is promoting Canada as an investment destination choice and will discuss cooperation between the two countries in combating human smuggling and terrorism in the region.

The Canadian premier will be officially welcomed Friday at Government House and will then meet with Yingluck.

Topics of discussion will include issues of mutual interest, trade and investment, energy, education, and security, as well as Asean-Canada cooperation. Yingluck will host a luncheon reception in Harper's honour at Santi Maitri Building in the Government House compound.

His official visit not only commemorates the bilateral diplomatic relations, but also reaffirms the long-lasting and cordial relationship between the two countries.

Thailand, as the country coordinator of Asean-Canada relations from 2009-2012, will also take this opportunity to highlight the auspicious occasion of the 35th Anniversary of Asean-Canada dialogue this year.

The Thailand visit is part of Harper's Asian tour that will take him to Japan on Sunday and Monday (March 25-26) and to the South Korean capital on Monday and Tuesday (March 26-27) where he will participate in the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul.

-- The Nation 2012-03-21

[WackySomchai]

Will the fugitive's propaganda minister Amsterdam join this trip?

[geriatrickid]

Postmedia and other news sources are reporting the following key facts that will surprise some;

-Thailand is Canada's largest economic partner in Southeast Asia, with two-way trade totalling C$3.5 billion last year.

- Canada has a task force in Bangkok, comprising RCMP, Canadian Border Security Agency, Immigration Canada, Department of Defense and other officials, that has been co-operating with Thai authorities to prevent ships carrying bogus Tamil refugees from going to Canada.

- Canada sees Thailand as a way to develop closer links with ASEAN and is seeking to sign a free trade deal.

- Thailand, is looking to deepen its energy and resource relationship with Canada, which already includes a $2.3-billion investment by Thailand's state-run oil firm into Alberta's oilsands (Bet no one knew that Thailand has a stake in canada's energy sector, and a hefty one at that. Thais aren't as dumb as you think.)

-Harper's first stop on Friday is to pay his respects to King Bhumibol before a one-on-one meeting with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. (Quite a shake to protocol as it should be the Governor General that visits the King as the GG is the Queen's Representative. It is quite an honour to be granted an audience considering the situation.)

And just so you know that the war on drugs is serious and that the immigration issue is of concern;

Harper will meet with Thai police and Canadian officials. There is also concern about the growing influence of biker gangs like the Hells Angels in the drug flow from Thailand. Thailand will most likely receive support from Harper on its war on drugs.

[bigbamboo]

Postmedia and other news sources are reporting the following key facts that will surprise some;

-Thailand is Canada's largest economic partner in Southeast Asia, with two-way trade totalling C$3.5 billion last year.

- Canada has a task force in Bangkok, comprising RCMP, Canadian Border Security Agency, Immigration Canada, Department of Defense and other officials, that has been co-operating with Thai authorities to prevent ships carrying bogus Tamil refugees from going to Canada.

- Canada sees Thailand as a way to develop closer links with ASEAN and is seeking to sign a free trade deal.

- Thailand, is looking to deepen its energy and resource relationship with Canada, which already includes a $2.3-billion investment by Thailand's state-run oil firm into Alberta's oilsands (Bet no one knew that Thailand has a stake in canada's energy sector, and a hefty one at that. Thais aren't as dumb as you think.)

-Harper's first stop on Friday is to pay his respects to King Bhumibol before a one-on-one meeting with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. (Quite a shake to protocol as it should be the Governor General that visits the King as the GG is the Queen's Representative. It is quite an honour to be granted an audience considering the situation.)

And just so you know that the war on drugs is serious and that the immigration issue is of concern;

Harper will meet with Thai police and Canadian officials. There is also concern about the growing influence of biker gangs like the Hells Angels in the drug flow from Thailand. Thailand will most likely receive support from Harper on its war on drugs.

Considering the situation? What we have is the leader of Thailand meeting the leader of Canada. The GG is a largely ceremonial post.

[geriatrickid]

Considering the situation? What we have is the leader of Thailand meeting the leader of Canada. The GG is a largely ceremonial post.

Queen is legally the head of state for Canada. Although the GG may be ceremonial, he represents the Queen. Protocol dictates that HM meet with those of similar rank. When the Queen of England meets with foreign delegations in an official capacity , it is usually the head of state such as the President of Russia, not the PM etc. In this case, it is considered an honour, and the circumstances are that the King is in the hospital. There haven't been too many foreign visitors in the past year that have been granted a Royal audience. My personal view is that the meeting is intended to impress upon all parties the importance of the relationship, particularly after Canada blew a gasket on the bogus tamil refugees that were using Thailand as the transit point with no interference from Thai authorities. That Tamil crisis came close to seeing debilitating sanctions levied on Thailand You probably were unaware of that too. The arrival of the Canadian security task force was a direct result of the clash over the Tamils. Canada was also joined by Australia in urging a crackdwn on illegal immigrants in transit. Since the confrontation, Thailand has moved to address the immigration concerns, although no Thai officials have been arrested or charged in the very large human smuggling ring. You were probably unaware that Canada and Australia were ready to send vessels to intercept the Tamil boats and send them back to Thailand which would have created a major diplomatic incident.