Manama: Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will arrive in Bahrain on Tuesday on a two-day working visit.
According to reports, Vejjajiva said his mission in Bahrain was to improve economic ties and show harmony with the Islamic world, as Thailand struggles to handle a six-year separatist insurgency in its largely Muslim southern provinces.
Abhisit, his country’s 27th prime minister, is scheduled to meet King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa and Prime Minister Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa to discuss ways to strengthen economic relations and follow up the setting up of a Thai product distribution centre in Bahrain.
Vejjajiva, 45, plans to meet Bahraini businessmen and to explain the ongoing situation in Thailand to Thai citizens.
Prior to flying to Bahrain, Vejjajiva will visit Brunei.
He said he decided to proceed with the foreign tour as "both the countries are important and a visit to Brunei is long due."
However, he said that he would be monitoring the "situation" at the weekend, when anti-government protesters would stage a rally in the capital Bangkok.
Abhisit has indefinitely postponed his visit to Australia and New Zealand planned for March 13-17 because of the anti-government rally by the red-shirts, Thai media said.
