Thein Sein delays Thailand visit

Published: 28/05/2012 at 06:20 PM .... 

Myanmar president Thein Sein has postponed his trip to Thailand until a few days after the World Economic Forum East Asia in Bangkok, the WEF's senior director and Head of Asia Suchant Palakurthi Rao said on Monday.

Aung San Suu Kyi and Thein Sein met last year. In the background, a photo of national hero Aung San, Mrs Suu Kyi's late father. (AFP Photo)

"The Myanmar president, Mr Thein Sein, will be coming to Thailand, but he has postponed it for a few days," he said in Bangkok.

"The Myanmar government, however, will be well represented by the minister for energy and vice minister for tourism and trade."

Mr Rao said National League for Democracy chairwoman Aung San Suu Kyi would attend a WEF forum panel session on June 1.

He was speaking at a formal briefing about the WEF East Asia meeting from May 30 to June 1 in Bangkok.
Thein Sein was invited to the forum, which will  host Nobel laureate Suu Kyi as part of her historic first foray outside Myanmar in 24 years.

"Thailand and Myanmar decided to postpone the Myanmar president's official visit to Thailand to June 4-5," Thai foreign ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi confirmed to AFP.

He added that Suu Kyi "will still come as planned".

Four heads of foreign governments have confirmed they will attend the forum  -- Nguyen Tan Dung, the prime minister of Vietnam; Thongsing Thammavong, prime minister of Laos; Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, president of Indonesia; and His Royal Highness Prince Al Khalifa, prime minister of Bahrain.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra cancelled her planned attendance at the WEF panel discussion,  "Asian Women as the Way Forward". The panelists include Aung San Suu Kyi; Jon Fredrik Baksass, president and chief executive officer of Telenor Group; Helene D Gayle, president and CEO of CARE USA; and Rokia Afzal Rahman, president of Bangladesh Federation of Women Entrepreneurs.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/wef-online/295433/thein-sein-delays-wef-trip