Thai PM Makes Surprise Visit To Burma
Siddique Islam - All Headline News Foreign Correspondent Rangoon, Burma (AHN) - Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra made a surprise visit to Burma on Wednesday, a pro-democratic Burmese news agency reported. Quoting official sources in Nay Pyi Daw the new capital of the country, the Mizzima News reported the special flight carrying a Thai delegation led by Thaksin landed in Nay Pyi Daw around 1:00 pm (local time) and is scheduled to return in the evening. Thai Army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin and foreign minister Kantathi Supahmongkhon are also part of the delegation. Burma watchers and diplomatic circles are speculating on a variety of possibilities relating to the purpose of the trip, including Thailand's largest energy firm PTT's plans to enter the race for natural gas. Quoting a reliable source, the agency said the two sides may exchange ideas on the Burmese military junta's plan on the so-called Road Map to democracy and business issues related to former Prime Minister Khin Nyunt, including the Shin Satellite. Burma issues have been a subject of discussions in the recent ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and ASEAN Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur given the slow progress towards democratic reforms and the prolonged house arrest of opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Meanwhile, the military junta's self-styled National Convention, the constitutional drafting process and the first step of the Road |
