Ms Yingluck and her high-level delegation including Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul left Bangkok from the Royal Thai Army Airport, Wing 6 at 3.15pm and will arrive Bandar Seri Begawan at 7pm local time and will depart later in the evening after a state banquet to be hosted by the sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah.
She was scheduled to return to Thailand at around 45 minutes after midnight.
Before leaving Bangkok, Ms Yingluck said that during the visit she would have an audience with the sultan of Brunei and expected to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries including the exchange knowledge on agriculture and halal food.
She said Brunei is a member of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and Thailand could discuss on opportunity on cooperation in export and investment in halal food to Muslim countries.
The discussion would also touch on sending Thai labourers to work in Brunei, as a joint development in the energy sector, she said.
It was expected that the visit could lead to a greater understanding of Thailand`s approach to tackle the problems in the three southernmost provinces, she said, adding in the past Brunei has used the OIC arena to express its willingness to help Thailand in resolving the problems in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.
After Brunei, Ms Yingluck was scheduled to make her introductory visit to Indonesia on Monday, and on Thursday, she will visit Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, and fly to Vientiane on the following day.
TNA-OANA/H-AK
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
