Queen to rekindle SE Asian ties

Queen to rekindle SE Asian ties

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (AFP): Britain's Queen Elizabeth will make her first visit to Southeast Asia in nearly a decade with trips to Brunei and Malaysia beginning on Thursday in what is seen as a reflection of British commitment to turmoil-wracked regional economies.

The queen will be accompanied by husband Prince Philip and British secretary of state for foreign affairs Robin Cook.

She will spend four days in Brunei from Thursday and then fly to Kuala Lumpur to keep to tradition and officiate at the closing ceremony of the ongoing Commonwealth Games in the Malaysian capital.

The visit comes at a time when Southeast Asian economies are weathering a severe financial crisis which has ended a decade of rapid regional growth and crushed their currencies and stock markets.