Prime Minister Surayud's ASEAN Tour

[Jai Dee]

Prime Minister Surayud visits Cambodia on his second stop of ASEAN tour

Prime Minister General Surayud Chulanont is paying a one-day official visit to Cambodia, the second country in his traditional tour to familiarize himself with ASEAN leaders upon the assumption of the premiership.

After inspecting lines of guards of honour upon his arrival, General Surayud was led to the Prime Minister's Office where he and his Cambodian counterparts co-chaired a plenary meeting of their delegations.

This afternoon the Cambodian government will host a luncheon in honour of the Thai delegation at the International Hotel, after which Prime Minister will meet the Parliament President and the President of the National Council of Cambodia. Prime Minister Surayud is scheduled to return to Bangkok this evening at 5 p.m.

Government Spokesman Yongyuth Maiyalarp (ยงยุทธ มัยลาภ) said earlier General Surayud's visits to ASEAN members signify Thailand's policy to continue good neighbourly relations and cooperation.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 15 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Prime Minister Surayud will visit Malaysia on October 18 after a successful visit to Cambodia

Thailand and Cambodia will continue their cooperation in various fields including border demarcation, public health and economy.

Leaders of the two countries affirmed their cooperation during their meeting in Phnom Penh yesterday. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont paid a one-day visit to Cambodia as part of his familiarization trip to countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Speaking upon his return to Bangkok, General Surayud said he had explained the situation in Thailand to Prime Minister Hun Sen and reaffirmed Thailand's readiness to jointly work out solutions to bilateral and regional problems with Cambodia in a transparent manner.

General Surayud also revealed that he will visit Malaysia on October 18, 2006 to further strenthen the good bilateral relations.

He also stated that the Cabinet will discuss a possibility to lift of the Martial Law at their meeting tomorrow. He will also consult with the Council for National Security on the most appropriate timeframe to lift the law.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 16 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Surayud reassures Cambodia

Division of offshore energy resources, new roads and bird flu feature in talks

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont held talks with his Cambodian counterpart yesterday and confirmed there would be no change in bilateral ties following the September 19 coup.

During his one-day trip, Surayud told Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen that Thailand would hold elections in October next year as promised by the military, which ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless coup.

"The Thai government is committed to its promise to hold elections," Surayud was quoted by Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith as telling Hun Sen.

Cambodia was the second of Surayud's first overseas visits since taking office. The trip followed Surayud's visit on Saturday to neighbouring Laos, where he held talks with Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh.

Surayud also reassured Hun Sen that there would be no change in bilateral relations following the coup, said government spokesperson Yongyuth Mayalarp.

Yongyuth said Surayud also informed Hun Sen about the situation in the three southernmost provinces.

The prime minister said he had visited the area often during his time as a Privy Council member and believed that a good education system would foster understanding among youths and help resolve the problems there.

Surayud also said the two neighbouring countries should increase cooperation in fighting the spread of bird flu, which has killed 17 people in Thailand and six in Cambodia, said Yongyuth.

The new government will continue talks with Cambodia on dividing offshore energy resources along their border and arranging financing for several new roads linking the countries, he said.

The energy deal and a road project linking Thailand with Siem Reap, gateway to Cambodia's Angkor Wat complex, were launched by Hun Sen and deposed leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

Surayud's next trip will be to Malaysia on Wednesday.

He is expected to visit remaining Asean capitals soon. He is also scheduled to travel to China later this month to mark the 15th anniversary of China-Asean ties.

Surayud will also join the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hanoi next month as well as an Asean summit in the Philippines in December.

Source: The Nation - 16 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Thai PM in bid to end Islamic rebellion

THAILAND'S Interim Prime Minister, Surayud Chulanont, will go to Kuala Lumpur this week for talks with his Malaysian counterpart on the violence in southern Thailand.

The meeting is seen as a signal by the interim leader that the Islamic insurgency is high on his agenda.

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Razak, has confirmed that it is willing to host negotiations if invited by the Thais.

The three southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are caught in a long-running struggle between Islamic insurgents and the Thai military and police. The strife has dramatically escalated since January 2004, with more than 1700 deaths.

The visit to Malaysia comes as questions are raised about whether exiled insurgent leaders, who have been in secret negotiations with the Thai army since June 2005, could enforce any peace deal with new Islamic radical groups in the south.

The talks, mediated by former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, produced a document signed by Bersatu leader Dr Wan Kadir on behalf of five major insurgent groups.

However, there are significant absentees, including BRN Co-ordinate, a more radical splinter group which, according to one observer, wants an independent state.

The Thai army's 4th Command, which oversees the south, called for the leaders of the insurgency to demonstrate their chain-of-command power by enforcing a 14-day ceasefire to prove they could control individual insurgent cells, according to a Bangkok newspaper report.

Source: The Age - 16 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Thailand sticks to all previous agreements with Cambodia

The current Thailand government promises to continue to carry out all the agreements approved by its former cabinet with the Cambodian government in order to strengthen bilateral ties, said government spokesman and Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith on Sunday.

Thailand's military-installed premier Surayud Chulanont said this to his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen while they held a one- hour meeting during his one-day official visit to the kingdom, Kanharith told reporters at a press conference held inside the Council of Ministers.

Meanwhile, Hun Sen said that despite the event of coup in Thailand, Cambodia will still cooperate warmly with the neighbor like before, "because this event is just the internal affair of the Thai people."

Chulanont's visit also aims to introduce himself to the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries' leaders right after he came to power on Oct. 1, he added.

His visit to Laos on Saturday, to Cambodia on Sunday, and to other ASEAN countries in the upcoming days will help beef up regional cooperation, the minister said.

During the meeting, Hun Sen asked the Thai authority to help transport by railways the materials offered by Malaysia to the kingdom.

He also requested Chulanont to attend a top-level meeting among Cambodia, Thailand and Laos to develop tourism in the border areas.

"This project has already been confirmed at a meeting of foreign ministers of the three countries, but it is not decided yet," said Kanharith.

Meanwhile, both sides agreed to continue their cooperation to explore natural resources, especially oil, in the Thailand Gulf Sea, he said.

Besides, Hun Sen asked the Thailand government to finish the construction of National Road 48, 67 and 18, which was promised by the Thaksin Shinawatra cabinet. All these roads are next to the Cambodian-Thai border in Bantey Meanchey Province.

Along the border, Hun Sen proposed to open a new gate for import and export of commodities, while keeping the old gate for tourists transit only.

In addition, Chalnont requested Cambodia's cooperation to combat bird flu, which is epidemic within the region.

He also promised to Hun Sen that Thailand will have democratic elections soon to push forward its democracy.

Both prime ministers plan to meet each other again at the China- ASEAN Commemorative Summit to be held in China soon.

This is Chulanont's first trip abroad since he was sworn in as Thailand's new prime minister on Oct. 1, replacing Thaksin Shinawatra who was overthrown in a bloodless coup on Sept. 19.

Source: Xinhua - 16 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

PM will discuss southern problems with Malaysian premier

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont (สุรยุทธ์ จุลานนท์) is scheduled to take an official visit to Malaysia on October 18th. There, he will meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Adullah Badawi (อับดุลลา บาดาวี) and Defense Minister Najib Abdul Razak (นาจิบ อับดุล ราซัค).

The Thai premier will look forward to strengthen both countries’ relations and continue the bilateral cooperation in many areas.

Another important issue of the meeting concerns Thailand’s southern unrest.

Prime Minister Surayud will also explain the present political situation in Thailand to the Malaysian premier.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 16 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Thailand and Cambodia to work together in land border issue

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to jointly study the land border issue, and they will abide by the benefits of the people of both countries.

During Gen. Surayud’s official visit to Cambodia, he had a bilateral talk with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The Thai premier explained and clarified the changes in the situation of Thailand, and also affirmed that both countries will continue to cooperate in the issues of economics, public health and border areas. Gen. Surayud said the cooperation between both nations will be transparent, and they will speedily wok out various issues together. Gen. Surayud is scheduled to take an official visit to Malaysia on October 18th, to strengthen the bilateral ties between Thailand and Malaysia.

According to the Thai Prime Minister, the abrogation of the martial law will be raised during the Cabinet meeting tomorrow, in order to determine the proper time for withdrawal.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 16 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

The prime ministers of Thailand and Malaysia prepared for southern unrest discussion

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont will discuss the unrest situation in the three southernmost provinces with the Malaysian Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Defence Minister Tun Hj Abdul Razak during his visit to Malaysia on October 18.

Army Captain Yongyuth Maiyalarp, Spokesman of the PM’s Office, revealed after the preparation meeting for the visit that the discussion will cover, aside from the southern border security, ways to strengthen bilateral relations and the overall situation in Thailand.

Dr. Yongyuth said Gen. Surayud will fly from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Putra Jaya, the government town of Malaysia, on board TG flight 415 at 9:05 hours on October 18th and will be back around 21:00 hours (Thai time) on the same day.

Furthermore, the PM will visit Indonesia on October 21st, the Philippines on October 23rd and Vietnam on October 26th consecutively.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 16 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Malaysia expresses willingness to broker peace in southern Thailand

Malaysia is willing to play a role in the peace talks between the Thai government and the southern Thai separatist movements if Malaysia was invited, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Monday.

If they think that Malaysia can play a role, Malaysia will be willing to do that, but it is up to Bangkok to decide on the matter, Syed Hamid told reporters after visiting the Southeast Asia Regional Center for Counter Terrorism (SEARCCT) here.

Syed Hamid said that Malaysia had played a role in the peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (<deleted>) at the request of Manila and in the Aceh Monitoring Mission to ensure compliance with the peace agreement at the request of the Indonesian government.

Malaysia and Thailand have had long established relations, he said. If Thailand thinks that Malaysia can contribute to the peace there as a good neighbor, Malaysia is quite happy to do so.

On Thailand's new prime minister Surayu Chulanont's visit to Malaysia scheduled for Wednesday, Syed Hamid said it was a traditional visit when a new government took over.

Surayud is scheduled to visit Malaysia as part of a familiarization tour of southeast Asian countries, during which he will meet with his Malaysian counterpart Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Source: Xinhua - 17 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

PM to visit Malaysia today

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont (สุรยุทธ์ จุลานนท์) and a group of ministers are paying an official visit to Malaysia. The ministers include Defence Minister Boonrawd Somthas (บุญรอด สมทัศน์), Interior Minister Aree Wong-araya (อารีย์ วงศ์อารยะ), and Foreign Affairs Minister Nitya Piboonsongkram (นิตย์ พิบูลสงคราม). The group will travel on Thai Airways' TG 415 aircraft from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the International Airport in Kuala Lumpur.

Upon arrival this afternoon, Prime Minister Surayud will discuss official issues with Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Defence Minister Tun Hj Abdul Razak.

Apart from the effort to strengthen the relationships between the two countries, another purpose of the meeting is to discuss security issues involving the unrest in southern Thailand.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 18 October 2006

[Chang_paarp]

It is good that the new Prime Minister is travelling internationally to re-assure the folk in the neighboring countries of Thailand's intention to maintain a staus quo.

Call me fussy, but which sea did the PM cross to go to Cambodia?

Cambodia was the second of Surayud's first overseas visits since taking office. The trip followed Surayud's visit on Saturday to neighbouring Laos, where he held talks with Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh.

[Jai Dee]

Thai new prime minister to visit Indonesia

The newly appointed Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont will pay one-day courtesy visit to Indonesia Saturday, Indonesian Presidential spokesman Dino Pati Djalal announced here Friday.

During his visit, Chulanont is going to have face-to-face talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the State Palace.

"On Oct. 21, the president is to accept a courtesy visit of Chulannt", said Dino, "the visit is in an effort of self introduction of the Thai new Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont."

When asked whether Indonesia agreed with the change of a government through a coup, the spokesman said, "We give an acknowledgement only to state, so we do not have to be in the position whether to acknowledge each of the government."

Dino said that the president has sent a letter, congratulating the prime minister for his appointment on Oct. 11 and expecting the restoration of democracy to be immediately carried out in the country by establishing a general election.

The government of Thailand has announced that the general election to be held in October 2007, according to the spokesman.

Chulanont was appointed to be Thai prime minister after the stepping down of the former prime minister Thaksin Sinawatra during a military coup.

Source: Xinhua - 19 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Military-backed Thai PM to visit Manila

Thailand's military-backed prime minister will visit Manila next week, Philippine officials said Wednesday, pledging to "respect" the country's new leadership installed after last month's coup.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said President Arroyo would not take issue with Surayud Chulanont over the toppling of her friend, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

"We don't interfere in the way they choose their leaders. We just have to respect their processes," he said, adding that Mrs. Arroyo sent a congratulatory letter to the new prime minister on October 3.

Chulanont will arrive on Monday following visits to other Southeast Asian countries including Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia, Ermita said.

Last month, Mrs. Arroyo joined the call for the Thai generals to speedily restore democracy and the rule of law in Thailand.

Source: AFP - 19 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Interior Minister said the meeting between Thai and Malaysian PMs was successful

Interior Minister Aree Wong-araya said the meeting between Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday was a success, as the two leaders expressed good will for one another.

Following the bilateral talk, Malaysia is willing to support the Thai government, especially in solving the unrest the three southern border provinces. However, Malaysia has affirmed that it will not intervene with the Thai authority in solving the southern violence because the country considers that it is an internal issue. Meanwhile, there has been no official bilateral agreement to strengthen the relations of both countries yet.

The Interior Minister said the appointment of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC) chief is taken into consideration at the moment, and the matter will be discussed with the Council of National Security again.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 19 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

PM will visit Indonesia tomorrow

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont will officially pay a visit to Indonesia tomorrow (Oct 21).

The Foreign Relations Group of the Spokesman Office in the Government House revealed that Gen. Surayud will depart from the Royal Thai Air Force 6 Airport at 8 AM tomorrow and arrive at Halim Perdamakusuma Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia at 11:30 hours. Then, he will travel to a hotel prepared by the Indonesia government.

In the afternoon of Oct 21st, the Thai premier will have a discussion with the Indonesian President. Gen. Surayud and his entourage will also have a meeting with the Indonesian representatives. A press conference will then be held after the meeting has adjourned.

The Prime Minister will arrive at the Royal Thai Air Force 6 Airport at 17:00 hours on October 21st.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 20 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Thai PM seeks support from regional neighbours

Thailand's interim Prime Minister, General Surayud Chulanont, is courting support from neighbouring countries, one month after the military coup which brought him to office.

Gen Chulanont is heading to Indonesia today and will visit the Philippines on Monday.

He has already been to Malaysia as part of his campaign to win support in the region.

Gen Chulanont is facing pressure at home, with criticisms about the independence of the appointed members of the new National Legislative Assembly, which was given royal assent in a ceremony in Bangkok last night.

The 250 men and women will begin work on Tuesday.

He has also had to fight off suggestions that his administration could be in office well beyond the one year promised, if constitutional talks take longer than expected.

There are concerns that rewriting the constitution will go well into 2008, possibly derailing elections due in October 2007.

Source: ABC News - Saturday, October 21, 2006.

[Jai Dee]

Prime Minister Surayud visits Indonesia today to strengthen bilateral relations

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont leaves for the Republic of Indonesia this morning for a one-day visit to familiarize himself with Indonesian leaders.

The visit is the fourth to foreign countries by General Surayud since he assumed the Thai leadership.

General Surayud is traveling with a number of ministers including Commerce Minister Krirkkrai Jiraphaet (เกริกไกร จีระแพทย์), Energy Minister Piyaswasti Amranand (ปิยสวัสดิ์ อัมระนันท์) and Secretary General to the National Economic and Social Development Board Ampon Kitti-ampon (อำพน กิตติอำพน).

He is scheduled to meet with the Indonesian President on a four-eyes basis at 11.35 a.m. and will arrive back in Bangkok tonight at 9.35 pm.

The Prime Minister will fly to the Philippines on Monday (Oct 23) as part of his tour of ASEAN neigbours. He had already visited Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 21 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Thailand and Indonesia will jointly push for cooperation in several fields

Thailand and Indonesia have agreed to step up cooperation in various fields, particularly in energy and agriculture.

The cooperation was discussed at a meeting yesterday between the Thai and Indonesian delegations led by Prime Minister General Surayud Chulanont and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono respectively. The Thai Prime Minister paid a one-day visit to Indonesia on the fourth leg of his ASEAN tour that already took him to Laos (on Oct 14), Cambodia (on Oct 15) and Malaysia (Oct 18).

General Surayud said after the meeting that the Thai Ministry of Energy is considering increasing its investment in Indonesia in the near future. In the field of agriculture, Indonesia is eager to learn from Thailand's experience while Thailand is interested in the Indonesian oil palm strain which is more productive than the Thai seedlings. In fisheries, both sides agreed to enter more negotiations to reach concrete cooperation while preventive measures against bird flu will be discussed between officials of both sides.

As for cooperation under the ASEAN framework, the two leaders discussed ways to futher develop cooperation among Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia which had been stagnant due to the unrest problem in the three southernmost provinces of Thailand. The two leaders agreed to jointly work towards job creation and economic expansion in the three southern border provinces, to facilitate future regional growth. Both were positive that the southern unrest would die down shortly.

In terms of politics, General Surayud said he had explained to the Indonesian President the government's political steps towards democracy, the protection of civil rights, press freedom and recent relaxation of Martial Law regulations allowing political gathering by public members.

He said however that the government is still unable to lift the Martial Law due to an underground movement in the northern and northeastern parts of Thailand. But he mentioned that the Law will be lifted once the situation has developed positively.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 22 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

PM ready to push for cooperation among Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia

Gen. Surayud Chulanont, the Prime Minister of Thailand, prepares to raise cooperation projects between Thailand and Indonesia and Malaysia to the coming ASEAN Summit at the end of this year.

After his visit to Indonesia, General Surayud officially declared the result that aside from reporting the overall situation in Thailand and talking with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, he also discussed the Thai-Indonesian cooperation, as well as that between Thailand and Malaysia, to which he had earlier paid a visit.

General Surayud said he would bring the tripartite cooperation for discussion in the coming ASEAN Summit in the Philippines so that the projects which had been suspended temporarily due to the unrest in southern Thailand, will be put into concrete operation.

Gen. Surayud also mentioned that the President of Indonesia had explained him about the agreement made with a Russian company to bring in water-loaded aircraft to help extinguish the Indonesian forest fire. The operation will be launched tomorrow (Monday).

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 22 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

PM reiterated political and southern issues will be solved quickly

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has insisted that he will solve the political issues and the southern unrest at the shortest time possible.

Following Gen. Surayud’s discussion with Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday, he said the Philippines is interested in the political situation and the southern turbulence in Thailand, and the country is curious on how the Thai government will solve these issues. Gen. Surayud has affirmed that these problems will be solved as quickly as possible. At the moment, the National Legislative Assembly has been established and it will set up a Constitutional Drafting Assembly, in order for the general election to be held soon.

Concerning the southern unrest, Thailand and the Philippines share certain similarities, and the country has successfully solved similar problems. The Philippines has signed a disarmament agreement with the Abu Sayyaf rebels. Thus, Thailand will use this as a caste study, in the same way as the Thai Prime Minister’s earlier discussion with Indonesia and Malaysia. In addition, the neighbouring countries of Thailand will develop a mutual understanding with the fellow Muslims in Thailand.

Thailand and the Philippines will have more opportunities to strengthen their bilateral ties once again at the Asean-China Summit in China and the Asean Summit in the Philippines before the end of this month. Cooperation on various issues such as agricultural energy and foreign labours will be discussed. They are scheduled to sign a cooperative agreement at the summit as well.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 24 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Thai and Vietnamese leaders will push for 5 billion US dollars per annum in bilateral trade

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont will this morning discuss ways to enhance trade and investment cooperation with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung in a bid to raise bilatera trade volume to five billion US dollars a year.

General Surayud left for Vietnam this morning for a one-day official visit which is the sixth in a series of his visits to member countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since the assumption of his post.

Information Department Director-General Kitti Vasinond (กิตติ วะสีนนท์) said the Thai and Vietnamese leaders are determined to jointly push the annual bilateral trade volume to five billion US dollars. General Surayud will also ask Vietnam to help facilitate Thai investment in that country before Vietnam becomes member of the World Trade Organization. The two leaders are also expected to discuss cooperation in the fields of public health including bird flu prevention, security matters as well as the promotion of people-to-people cooperation in celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Thai-Vietnamese diplomatic relations.

Besides, Thailand will reaffirm commitments with Vietnam under multi-lateral framework, particularly its efforts to push for concrete cooperation under the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy or ACMECS.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has already visited Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines respectively before his visit to Vietnam. The Information Department Director-General said leaders of Brunei Darussalam and Singapore have already confirmed their meetings with General Surayud on the sidelines of their participation in the ASEAN-China summit in Nanning, the People’s Republic of China at the end of this month.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 26 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Thai Prime Minister visits Vietnam

Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont today arrives in Hanoi for an official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

This is the visit to Vietnam by Mr Surayud Chulanont since he was appointed as Thailand’s interim Prime Minister on October 1.

Source: Nhan Dan - 26 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Gen Surayud to head for China for ASEAN-China Commemorative Summit

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and his entourage are participating in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-China Commemorative Summit, which will be held today (Oct 30) and tomorrow in Nanning (หนานหนิง), China.

Gen. Surayud is attending a plenary session of the two-day summit, starting today. He will take this opportunity to exchange views with Chinese and other ASEAN leaders on regional and international issues as well as the future direction of the ASEAN-China dialogue relations. Moreover, he will build trust with the Chinese Prime Minister by vowing that the unrest situation in Thailand will be surely healed, while discussing on economic affairs and ongoing strategic partnership.

For this ASEAN-China Commemorative Summit, it is the first time that all ASEAN leaders meet together in China to strengthen their relations on their 15th anniversary. Furthermore, official statement will be made on the relationship pathway over the next 15 years.

Recently, ASEAN and China together focus on 10 major developments which are agriculture, transportation, information technology (IT), energy, human resources, culture, investment, public health, Mekong River basin and tourism.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 30 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Asean-China Summit is over yesterday

National leaders from Asean and China have signed an agreement to boost their multilateral relations for over the next 15 years.

The leaders gathered in the southern Chinese city of Nanning for a summit commemorating 15 years of formal ties between China and Asean. Meanwhile, Thailand’s Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, one of the ten ASEAN leaders who are joining this summit, has signed his name in the official statement between ASEAN and China to cooperatively develop the member countries within 15 years, especially in politics and national stability.

High-level officials will continue to exchange their visits and information on national stability. They will also continue to suppress corruption, develop recovery plans for natural disasters, and set up the nuclear-weapon free zone in Southeast Asia.

As for the economic cooperation, the members plan to set up ASEAN-China free trade zone within 2020. After all members have signed an official statement with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, he has declared the conclusion for this summit that it does not only support ASEAN-China but it also helps improve the relationship between Asiancountries and other countries around the world

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 31 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Thai PM's mission during ASEAN-China Summit

Thailand’s Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has joined the ASEAN-China Summit in Nanning, China since yesterday morning. Today, the Prime Minister and his entourage will attend the opening ceremony of the 3rd China-ASEAN Expo at Nanning International Exhibition Center. They will also visit the exhibitors in the Expo.

Later on, a bilateral discussion will be held between Gen. Surayud and Gen. Soe Win (โซวิน), the Prime Minister of Myanmar, at the guesthouse, and the agenda has not been disclosed yet. Then the Thai Premier will have a meeting with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (ฮัจญี ฮัสซานัล โบลเกียห์), the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, an interview session for the mass, and lastly, a bilateral discussion with the Chinese Premier.

Gen. Surayud will leave China at 17:00 hours and will arrive in Thailand at 18:05 hours, local time.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 31 October 2006