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Thai PM departs for Myanmar in first overseas foray


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Posted

Thai PM departs for Myanmar in first overseas foray
Bangkok, Thailand | AFP |

BANGKOK: -- Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha departed for Myanmar Thursday in his first overseas foray since grabbing power in a coup, as he seeks to redouble economic ties with the kingdom's emerging neighbour.

The Thai junta ruler, who retired as army chief last month, is set for talks with fellow former general President Thein Sein, who swapped his uniform three years ago for civilian clothes as Myanmar edged away from full military rule.

Prayut is chasing international legitimacy for an administration which has suspended Thailand's democracy and imposed sweeping curbs on dissent since toppling the elected government on May 22.

Before departing for the Myanmar capital Naypyidaw, the premier said he would broach a wide range of topics during the visit -- from strengthening regional body ASEAN to migration.

"We have to reduce distrust and contain small problems, reduce red tape, reduce border conflicts," Prayut told reporters at Bangkok's military airport.

The two leaders will also discuss issues including kick-starting the stalled Dawei deep-sea port project and the cross-border drug trade, government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarap told AFP earlier.

"Over the last year the political situation has made it difficult for Thailand to play its previous role in international relations," he said.

The two-day visit aims to "promote our co-operation on economy, trade and investment", he said, adding the Dawei mega-project will loom large over discussions.

It was hoped that Dawei would tempt foreign investors to Myanmar as it emerges from decades of military rule, and give Thailand a gateway to the Indian Ocean and Western markets.

But it has faced funding difficulties and resistance from local villagers amid accusations of land-grabbing.

Last year Italian-Thai Development (ITD) scaled back its involvement in the project.

- Koh Tao murders -

The murder of two British tourists on a Thai resort island is also likely to be high on the agenda after two Myanmar nationals were charged with rape and murder last week over the crime.

Reports in Myanmar media have said the suspects told a lawyer that they confessed to the crime under duress, prompting rights groups to demand a probe into their treatment.

Thai authorities deny using the pair as scapegoats in a case that has turned a spotlight on the darker side to the "Land of Smiles", and tarnished its reputation as a tourist paradise.

Thein Sein "will ask about the two arrested Myanmar workers whom have been accused of murder", a senior official from the president's office in Naypyidaw told AFP.

Prayut, 60, retired at the end of September from a near four-decade career with the coup-prone army.

However, he retains extensive powers as the prime minister of a military-stacked cabinet and head of the junta -- the National Council for Peace and Order -- whose authority has been guaranteed by an interim constitution.

The gruff former general has vowed to steer reforms to reboot Thailand and excise the country of corruption before holding new elections.

Thein Sein, 69, who took office in 2011 after elections, has also vowed to shape reforms as his nation creeps out of the shadow of decades of authoritarian rule and heads towards landmark general elections late next year.

The bespectacled president served as prime minister in the last incarnation of Myanmar's junta.

The nation is now run by a quasi-civilian administration, although the army retains a 25 percent bloc of parliamentary seats.

afplogo.jpg
-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-10-09

Posted (edited)

a friendly talk between 2 dictators who could not care less about justice for 2 farang brutally murdered,or in the case of the burmese,for his own people

Edited by kaobang
  • Like 2
Posted

a friendly talk between 2 dictators who could not care less about justice for 2 farang brutally murdered

North Korea next?

Sad that Hitler is no longer, else General Prime Minister could have travel to Europe on Thai tax payer account.

  • Like 1
Posted

a friendly talk between 2 dictators who could not care less about justice for 2 farang brutally murdered,or in the case of the burmese,for his own people

It's a safe start to international trips as he will be amongst friends and to show how good a friend he is he ordered the nationality of the KT suspects not to be mentioned.

Wonder how he'll explain he did so after it was all over the international media ?

Posted

a friendly talk between 2 dictators who could not care less about justice for 2 farang brutally murdered,or in the case of the burmese,for his own people

Does Obama care if 2 Asians are murdered in USA?

Does Cameron care if 2 Asians are murdered in UK?

Posted

What sea is he foraying over?

Exactly my first thought. Has geographical knowledge been declared off-limits in the universities too?

Posted

a friendly talk between 2 dictators who could not care less about justice for 2 farang brutally murdered,or in the case of the burmese,for his own people

Does Obama care if 2 Asians are murdered in USA?

Does Cameron care if 2 Asians are murdered in UK?

Read it again. Khaobang said "Care less about justice," which of course they would.

Posted

a friendly talk between 2 dictators who could not care less about justice for 2 farang brutally murdered,or in the case of the burmese,for his own people

Does Obama care if 2 Asians are murdered in USA?

Does Cameron care if 2 Asians are murdered in UK?

With over 14,000 Murders in the US, 600 in the UK and 3,000 in Thailand each year ...

Posted

a friendly talk between 2 dictators who could not care less about justice for 2 farang brutally murdered,or in the case of the burmese,for his own people

Does Obama care if 2 Asians are murdered in USA?

Does Cameron care if 2 Asians are murdered in UK?

just of interest when was the last time thais were murdered in the uk or usa i mean we read about our country folk getting killed here day in day with impunity.

  • Like 1
Posted

a friendly talk between 2 dictators who could not care less about justice for 2 farang brutally murdered

North Korea next?

Sad that Hitler is no longer, else General Prime Minister could have travel to Europe on Thai tax payer account.

Considering the source of this comment, here's a post of The Great Dictator for your edification.

post-9891-0-41854500-1412856237_thumb.jp

Posted (edited)

overseas visit ? Myanmar?

Srinakarin and Vajiralongkorn lakes....sea..lake..who cares about this detail...

first overlake foray is this ok?

seriously someone here is understimating the opinion of burmese people

csi la thai has been visited by 42.500 burmese

perhaps some would like to give a word to the thai PM

Edited by kaobang
Posted

overseas visit ? Myanmar?

Srinakarin and Vajiralongkorn lakes....sea..lake..who cares about this detail...

first overlake foray is this ok?

seriously someone here is understimating the opinion of burmese people

csi la thai has been visited by 42.500 burmese

perhaps some would like to give a word to the thai PM

"...about this detail...

first overlake foray is this ok? NO!

He's neither going overseas, overlake or overduckpond. Nor is he going on a foray. He's dropping in on the neighbors for a chat.

He's a military man in charge of a government going to visit another military man in charge of a government.

Here is the definition of foray:

first overlake foray is this ok?

noun: foray; plural noun: forays
1.
a sudden attack or incursion into enemy territory, especially to obtain something; a raid.
"the garrison made a foray against Richard's camp"
synonyms: raid, attack, assault, incursion, swoop, strike, onslaught, sortie, sally, push, thrust;

It might sound cute in a newspaper story, but P.M. Prayuth is merely visiting a safe, neutral territory and he will be accorded all the civilities the Myanmar junta can afford. Perhaps he might take tea with Suu Kyii.

He is not leading a tank division to seize territory in Burma.

His real test will come when the man is tasked with visiting Farangland.

Posted

His real test will come when the man is tasked with visiting Farangland.

and the answer is..never

he was supposed to head to europe for the europe asian summit but looks like he declined from the last news

Posted

Considering how much he has been stepping in it lately, the Thai Prime Minister may want wipe his feet before getting on the plane.

This is very adventagous, as we get to see how much his Bermese counter part cares about justice for his people. He may not care,but the world will be watching.

Posted

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

What sea is he foraying over?

Would it be the RED SEA surrounding Chiang Mai?

Posted

"The nation is now run by a quasi-civilian administration, although the army retains a 25 percent bloc of parliamentary seats."

With an ex-coup general as the head of government.

If someone were to replace the Thai government with the Mynamar government, no one would notice the difference.

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