Yingluck finally arrives

Thai premier begins official visit today after delay due to floods

KUALALUMPUR: Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra starts her official visit to Malaysia today, after putting it off due to the massive floods in her country last October.

It is her first visit here since assuming office in August last year.

She will have an audience with the Yang di-pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah at Istana Negara and meet Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak over bilateral and regional matters.

Yingluck will have a hectic daylong visit, which includes the signing of an agreement to strengthen bilateral trade and cooperation between the two countries. The total trade between Malaysia and Thailand was reportedly valued at (Rm80.32bil).

The two prime ministers are also expected to discuss a proposal by Thailand to host the Thai-malaysian Joint Commission Joint Development Strategy for Border Areas for the first half of this year.

It will lay the groundwork for the fifth annual summit between leaders of both countries that Malaysia is expected to host.

They will also discuss cooperation under the Indonesia-malaysia-thailand Growth Triangle and the economic strategic development for the Asean Economic Community.

Yingluck will wind up her business sessions with an invitation to Najib to attend the 21st World Economic Forum on East Asia that will be held in Thailand in May.

Najib and wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor will host a dinner in honour of Yingluck at Seri Perdana before she returns to Thailand at 11.25pm.