PM to Laos on first official visit abroad

Abhisit said he intended to strengthen ties with Laos, pointing to a number of joint infrastructure projects from railways to roads across the common, as well as sports stadium for the Communist country.

Abhisit is due to meet counterpart Bouasone Bouphavanh and President Choummaly Sayasone in Vientiane before returning to Bangkok Friday evening.

 The sticky issue of ethnic Hmong minorities who fled Laos over the years and currently residing in Thailand would not be raise during the visit but would be discuss at the joint border committee to be chaired by the foreign ministries of both countries.

Thailand's foreign ministry has said it had agreed to repatriate 5,000 members of the Hmong ethnic minority to Laos from Thai temporary shelters.

"We already have a framework for this issue under the JBC committee and everything has proceeded smoothly," Abhisit said.

"There is no problem on the Hmong issue as we have a mechanism to return them home smoothly," he said.

Thousands of Hmong from Laos live in camps in northeast Thailand are seeking asylum, saying persecution awaits them in Laos. They were descendents of those who had fought alongside the US forces during the Indochina War.

 Thailand, however, claims they are economic migrants seeking work and has been slowly sending them back to Laos.

Human rights groups criticized the move and called on the government to halt to the process.

 Abhisit travelled to Laos with Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and Army Chief General Anupong Paojinda.