LSAJ

VIENTIANE, Jan 23 (TNA) - Visiting Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Friday discussed bilateral cooperation with his Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) counterpart Bouasone Bouphavanh and offered to provide more educational assistance to help enlarge trade and investment activities between the neighbouring countries.
 
Accompanied by a four-person delegation, including Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya and Army chief Gen. Anupong Paochinda, Mr. Abhisit talked with Mr. Bouasone on further cooperation in communications, energy, tourism and sports.
 
Thailand has provided financial assistance to the Lao government to build a sport complex which will be used as the primary venue for the Southeast Asian Games which Laos will host later this year.
 
Mr. Abhisit, who is making his first official visit to Laos as is customary among the ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since taking office last month, said he also discussed with Mr. Bouasone on the prevailing global economic meltdown and both were confident that the problem would not affect economies of the two countries.
 
Mr. Bouasone also pledged that he would attend the 14th ASEAN summit which will be held in the Thai resort of Hua Hin between February 27-March 1.
 
Meanwhile, Mr. Kasit said the problem of about 4,000 ethnic Hmong now living in Thailand is being resolved with some of them may wish to settle in third countries.
 
Many men among the Hmong helped the United States fighting against the communist Pathet Lao (Lao Peoples' Army) during the height of the Indochina War in the 1960s and the 1970s. After the communist victory, many Hmong fled their home country and settled in the US and other Western countries while many remain in Thailand and are reluctant to return to their homeland for fear that the Lao government might persecute them.
 
Thailand at present is Lao's leading trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching Bt60 billion in 2007. Thailand is also a major foreign investor in Laos, investing US$1.3 billion in 169 projects between 2001-2008, according to the ministry.
 
The Thai premier Friday afternoon made a courtesy visit to Thongsing Thammavong, President of the Lao National Assembly, and paid respect to the Buddha at a temple in the capital.
 
The two prime ministers co-presided at the laying of the foundation stone of a Lao-Thai friendship multipurpose building. At 6.30pm the Lao prime minister will host a dinner for the Thai premier and his delegation.
 
Mr. Abhisit and his entourage will return to Bangkok late Friday. (TNA)