Laos, Thailand Enhance Cooperation

   HANOI (Nov. 17) XINHUA -  Laos and Thailand have agreed 
to enhance their bilateral cooperation, Lao official news 
agency (KPL) reported Tuesday, quoting Deputy Prime 
Minister and Foreign Minister Somsavat Lengsavad.
   Somsavat held a press conference Monday in Vientiane on 
the outcome of the eighth session of the Joint Commission 
on Lao-Thai Co-operation held in Bangkok last week, KPL 
said in its report.
   Somsavat Lengsavad and Thai Foreign Minister Surin 
Pitsuwan attended the session.
   KPL said the two sides reviewed the implementation of 
the minutes to the seventh session held last year. The two 
sides also agreed on the orientation of the multi-faceted 
co-operation between the two countries for 1999.
   Concerning the co-operation in security keeping, the two 
sides have agreed to transform the national boundary 
between the two countries into a border of peace, 
orderliness and benefit to the two peoples by the year 
2003.
   In economic co-operation, the Thai government has 
reaffirmed its agreements signed with the Lao government 
pertaining to the co-operation in energy development in 
Laos.
   At the session, the Thai side also reaffirmed its stance 
to buy 3,000 megawatts of electricity from Laos till the 
year 2006.
   The two countries will formulate master plans on 
economic development between the two countries, which will 
cover four areas: electricity, agriculture and industry of 
processing of agricultural produce, communication and 
telecommunication, and investment.
   The discussion also touched on technical co-operation in 
the fields such as education, public health, sports and 
culture.
   Prime Minister Sisavath Keobounphanh has been invited by 
his Thai 
counterpart to pay a visit to Thailand, announced Mr. 
Somsavat.
   The session also agreed to pave the way for the signing 
of three agreements -- land transportation between the two 
countries, extradition, and exemption of official visas.

Myanmar, Laos Hold First Border Meeting

   YANGON (Nov. 16) XINHUA - Myanmar and Laos border 
authorities at the central level held their first meeting 
here Monday, according to the official Myanmar News Agency.
   The meeting was jointly chaired by Myanmar Deputy 
Foreign Minister U Khin Maung Win and his visiting Lao 
counterpart Phongsavath Boupha who arrived here Sunday 
evening for the meeting.
   Reporting that the meeting discussed the two countries' 
border affairs, the agency gave no further details about 
it.
   The meeting was a follow-up of the first meeting of 
Myanmar-Lao regional border authorities held earlier in 
Tachilek, eastern Shan state  of Myanmar, in October this 
year.
   In September last year, Boupha met then Myanmar deputy 
foreign minister U Nyunt Swe in Yangon and discussed the 
implementation of the two countries' agreement on border 
areas management and cooperation.
   The agreement was one of the two signed during the visit 
to myanmar by the then Lao prime minister Khamtay 
Siphandone in March last year. The other was on drug 
control.
   Also in August last year, Lao Foreign Minister Somsavat 
Lengsavad  came to Yangon and co-chaired the third meeting 
of the two countries'  Joint Commission for Bilateral 
Cooperation with then Myanmar foreign minister U Ohn Gyaw, 
during which a wide range of bilateral issues were 
discussed. 

Laos Agrees With Thai Plan to Clear Up Problems

   BANGKOK (Nov. 14) XINHUA - Laos has agreed to a Thai 
plan aimed at clearing up all bilateral problems, including 
the sensitive issue of border demarcation, by the year 
2003, the Bangkok Post reported Saturday.
   The message from Vientiane was sent to Thailand by Lao 
Foreign Minister Somsavat Lengsavad during talks with his 
Thai counterpart Surin Pitsuwan in the annual joint 
commission meeting on Wednesday, the report said.
   Ending the problems will let the two countries fully 
concentrate on a free trade scheme due to be launched by 
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), of 
which both are members, in 2003.
   Both also pledged to complete economic master plans for 
cooperation in electricity, communications and agro-
industry, and investment.
   These agreements are due to be signed when Lao Prime 
Minister Sisavat Keobounphan makes a scheduled visit to 
Thailand early next year.
   Laos will upgrade four border checkpoints to enable ease 
of access for international visitors and clear the way for 
closer cooperation, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Kitti 
Wasinondh was quoted as saying.
   But the most sensitive issue is still the border 
demarcation, which delayed their meeting for five hours to 
clarify the already demarcated land border.
   The two countries put markers for 261 kilometers out of 
702 kilometers.
   They reaffirmed that demarcating the land border would 
be completed in the next two years as planned before moving 
on to the border separated by the Mekong River.
   Somsavat, who also is a deputy prime minister, called 
for decisive measures to end drug trafficking, illegal 
migration, black marketeers and border insecurity.