Thai PM Yingluck to begin tour of Asean nations

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will make her first trip overseas, beginning with Brunei, this weekend aimed at cementing ties with Asean countries, a government source said on Tuesday. -- PHOTO: AFP

THAILAND (THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will make her first trip overseas, beginning with Brunei, this weekend aimed at cementing ties with Asean countries, a government source said on Tuesday.

Ms Yingluck will make a one-day visit to Brunei on Sept 10, to Indonesia on Sept 12 and to Cambodia on Sept 15.

Foreign Ministry officials had recommended that Prime Minister Yingluck and Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul visit Asean members in alphabet order but the schedules of counterparts in foreign countries did not make this possible.

The Asean members in alphabetical order are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Although visiting the countries in alphabetical order was not possible, Ms Yingluck has made Brunei her first foreign destination as PM.

PHOTOS ALBUM OF YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA