Thailand's interim prime minister, Surayud Chulanont, arrived in Vietnam on Thursday for a day-long visit as part of a regional tour following his appointment by leaders of a military coup, REPORTED DPA. Surayud was welcomed in a military ceremony by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and later held talks with the Communist Party's general secretary, Nong Duc Manh. "On this occasion, we congratulate your appointment as Thai prime minister," Dung told Surayud. "We hope that your visit will enhance the friendship and strategic partnership between our two countries." Dung himself is newly appointed as prime minister of Vietnam by the Communist Party. He was confirmed by the one-party state's elected parliament in June. Surayud has so far visited Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines as part of traditional practice for new Southeast Asian leaders to visit fellow member states of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The diplomatic tradition is especially crucial for the public legitimacy of Surayud, who was appointed October 1 after a bloodless coup d'etat in September toppled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. Surayud has said he will stay in power no more than a year before new elections are held. In his Vietnam meetings, Surayud is expected to discuss bilateral trade, Vietnam's preparations to join the World Trade Organization and cooperation on fighting bird flu.
