Thailand’s PM arrives in Clark for 31st ASEAN Summit

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha of the Kingdom of Thailand arrived at the Clark International Airport in Pampanga on Sunday for the 31st Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Meetings.

The Royal Thai Air Force carrying Prayut and his wife Naraporn Chan-o-cha landed around 2:15 p.m. They were welcomed by Health Secretary Francisco Duque, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president and chief executive officer Vivencio Dizon and other government officials.

He is the seventh ASEAN leader to arrive in the country joining Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Lao People's Democractic Republic (PDR) Prime Minister Thoungloun Sisoulith, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Prayut, also the Thai Army Chief, heads the military junta or dictatorship that has replaced the country’s civilian government, according to the BBC. Chan-o-cha was also in the Philippines for the 30th ASEAN Summit in April.

Dialogue partners of the 10-member regional block, including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have also arrived in the country.

Other dialogue partners expected to arrive are US President Donald Trump, Chinese Premiere Li Keqiang, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. — Marlly Rome Bondoc and Nicole-Anne Lagrimas/BM, GMA News