Malaysian leader to visit Thailand

Malaysian leader to visit Thailand

MALAYSIA: Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will be making an official visit to Thailand on Jan. 16 as part of a regional familiarization trip and to boost bilateral ties, the government announced on Thursday.

Abdullah, who took over from veteran leader Mahathir Mohamad on Oct. 31, will hold talks with his counterpart Thaksin Shinawatra, the foreign ministry said in a statement to the Bernama news agency.

He is also due to have an audience with the King Bhumibol Adulyadej, it said.

The trip will provide Abdullah with the opportunity to discuss bilateral issues of mutual concern with Thaksin, the ministry said.

Abdullah's visit to Thailand is part of a tour of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries for newly installed regional leaders.

The premier has already visited Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia. -- DPA

;DPA;HHR; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Thailand-BirdFlu Eat more shrimp, urges Thaksin JP/11/ASEAN

Eat more shrimp, urges Thaksin

THAILAND: Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra urged his countrymen on Thursday to eat more shrimp to make up for a severe shortage of chickens brought on by diseases at poultry farms.

"This will have a double benefit," Thaksin told reporters at Government House, easing the chicken shortage while benefiting shrimp farmers who have been hit by a major supply glut.

Thaksin reiterated his government's insistence that the epidemics that have wiped out hundreds of thousands of chickens in Thailand were not related to the bird flu outbreak that has hit several other Asian nations.

He backed up claims by the Agriculture Ministry that the disease hitting the Thai poultry farms was a seasonal type of chicken cholera and windpipe infection that poses no danger to peoples' health.

Thaksin blamed unnamed political opponents for building up the scare over bird flu, which does pose a threat to humans. -- DPA