By The Nation
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will visit Burma next month to foster mutual cooperations and relationship.
Burma is the last Asean countries Abhisit visited after he is appointed as prime minister in December 2008.
A source said the one-day visit will take place on October 11, about a month before Burma's military junta hold a national election on November 7, the first in two decades.
He would visit new capital of Naypyidaw during the visit and is expected to discuss the bilateral talks with his Burmese counterpart; Thein Sein and his cabinet.
On Thursday, reports claimed that the junta will free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been detained for most of the last 20 since winning the country's last poll in 1990, when her current house arrest expires on November 13.
Neither Suu Kyi nor her National League for Democracy (NLD) party will participate in the upcoming vote, which opponents have dismissed as a sham aimed at hiding military power behind a civilian facade.
Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said from New York that it would be a good opportunity to express the international community's concern over the continued detention of Suu kyi and other jailed opposition politicians as well as minority groups.
Kasit said the premier planned to negotiate with the Burmese authorities about the ongoing Mae Sot-Myawaddy border closure in Tak province since July 12 that has jeopardised border trade between the two countries.
Kasit said said that bilateral cooperation to improve its transportation network connecting the two countries, customs clearance procedures and a follow-up about transportation construction projects financially supported by Thailand were other agenda items on the prime minister's official visit.
As Burma begins more free trade plans and would like private sectors to succeed some jobs from the Burma's state enterprise, the Thai government needs to acknowledge related measures, aiming to inform Thai private sectors interested in investing in the neighbouring country, said Kasit.
Earlier, the Thai premier's trip to Burma was first scheduled in July a year ago but was delayed as it coincided with the incident in which an American man swam across the lake to the home of pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi, who is confined under house arrest.
The planned visit to Burma in August was again postponed due to demanding schedules on the part between the leaders of the two countries.
Source: The Nation
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