Thai PM to visit Malaysia, SKorea, Japan in Dec

BANGKOK, November 17 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha is scheduled to visit three allied nations next month, aimed mainly to strengthen ties and cooperation between Thailand and the friendly nations. A spokesman of the Thai army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), told journalists on Monday that General Prayut, who is also the NCPO chief, will first officially visit Malaysia on December 1, when cooperation between the Thai and Malaysian governments on solutions to the violence-plagued Thai far South is also expected to be raised for talks between the Thai and Malaysian leaders. The spokesman stated that, after ending his one-day official visit to the neighbouring country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Thai prime minister will then visit South Korea from December 11-12 to attend the ASEAN-South Korea Commemorative Summit. According to the spokesman, the Thai premier will later fly to Japan for an official visit, during which the Thai leader will, among other issues, invite Japanese business operators to increase their investment in Thailand, namely high-speed rail projects, and to join Thailand's investment plans in a new economic zone in Dawei, Myanmar, and the Dawei deep sea port development project. (TNA)