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.