Thai PM leaves hospital, visiting Vietnam Wednesday afternoon

(MCOT online news)

BANGKOK, Nov 30 - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been discharged from a Bangkok hospital Wednesday noon and is leaving to make an official one-day introductory visit to Vietnam to affirm Thailand's strong determination to foster and strengthen bilateral ties particularly in the fields of economy, trade and investment.

Ms Yingluck was admitted to Phraram 9 Hospital early Tuesday after suffering from diarrhoea due to food poisoning.

Hospital Deputy Director Dr Arthit Jearanaisilawong said the premier had no diarrhoea and could be discharged at noon to travel to Vietnam as planned. However, for her safety, the hospital has assigned Dr Wichai Siriboonkhum, her personal physician, to accompany her during the trip.

He said Ms Yingluck is still fatigued and should rest, but it is not necessary to stay in hospital. After the trip, he said, the premier should have a further medical check-up.

Dr Arthit said her doctors believed her food poisoning may have come from contaminated seafood or sauce, but they needed 2-3 days to find the cause.

The premier and her entourage are scheduled to leave Thailand at 1pm for Vietnam, the sixth member country of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), after Ms Yingluck visited Myanmar, the Lao PDR, Cambodia, Indonesia and Brunei.

She will take this opportunity to reaffirm Thailand's policy to strengthen bilateral relations with Vietnam in the economy, trade and investment, particularly in mutual cooperation as strategic partners.

Thailand and Vietnam mark the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year.

Upon the arrival, Ms Yingluck will meet her Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung for bilateral talks. This will be their second encounter after meeting on the sidelines of the 19th ASEAN Summit in Bali, Indonesia earlier this month.

Ms Yingluck will discuss cooperation in natural disaster prevention and management after both Thailand and Vietnam were hard hit by floods and see the importance of water resource management.

Cooperation on the Mekong River and trade and investment covering construction, energy, rice and tourism will also be included in the agenda.

Thailand will invite Vietnam to join the ACMECS Single Visa pilot project to promote tourism between the two countries.

The Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) is a cooperation framework among Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam to use member countries’ diverse strengths and to promote balanced development in the subregion.

During the visit, Ms Yingluck will also make a courtesy call on Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang before returning to Bangkok tonight.