Thai PM visits Brunei, other ASEAN members

BANGKOK, September 10 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is paying a one-day official visit to Brunei on Saturday, her first leg on scheduled trips to other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since taking her new office in mid August to introduce herself and her Pheu Thai Party-led administration, as well as to strengthen ties and cooperation with the ASEAN neighbours.

Accompanied by new Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul and other members of her entourage, Yingluck is scheduled to depart from Bangkok at 3:15pm (local time) and to arrive in Brunei at around 7pm (local time).

The first female Thai premier will then have an audience with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, during which issues on bilateral cooperation and relations, as well as mutual interests between the two ASEAN member states will be raised, including those on halal food and labour projects.

Yingluck will also attend a dinner banquet hosted by the Brunei Sultan before flying back to Bangkok late tonight. The new Pheu Thai premier will later officialy visit Indonesia on September 12, Cambodia on September 15 and Laos PDR on September, all are one-day trips. (TNA)