U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit tsunami-hit parts of Thailand next week, officials said on Monday Rice is due to arrive on the southern resort island of Phuket on Sunday and to meet Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon the following day. Reuters quoted Foreign Ministry officials as saying that post-tsunami rebuilding in Thailand, where 5,400 died, would top the agenda although it was "inevitable" the two sides would also address the divisive issue of the military junta in neighboring Myanmar. "The objective of her visit is to observe reconstruction efforts after the tsunami, so most of her meetings will be in Phuket," Foreign Ministry spokesman Sihasak Phuangketkeow said. Rice's visit is part of an Asian trip including China, Japan and South Korea -- a schedule which appears to rule out her attending the annual ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in the Lao capital of Vientiane on July 28-29.
