Thai PM to visit Myanmar

Thai PM to visit Myanmar

BANGKOK (AFP): Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa will become the first Thai prime minister to visit Myanmar in 15 years when he leaves for a two-day official trip to Yangon on March 17, an official said yesterday.

Banharn, who had been planning to visit Myanmar since December, will meet with Myanmar's powerful intelligence chief, Khin Nyunt, and Than Shwe, chairman of the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council.

The last Thai premier to visit Myanmar was Prem Tinsulanonda in 1981.

The two southeast Asian neighbors have had an uneasy relationship stemming from border problems over the past few years marked by rival territorial claims and Yangon's anti- insurgent campaigns spilling over into Thailand.