7 February 1999
Press Release No. G/03/2000
BANGKOK (United Nations Information Services)--The Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Kofi Annan and his wife Nane Annan will visit Thailand and Singapore from 9-15 February 2000.
During this working visit to Thailand (9-13 February) the Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan will have an audience with Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand at the Klai Kangwol Palace in Hua Hin.
Mr. Annan is scheduled to meet with Mr. Chuan Leekpai, Prime Minister of Thailand, and Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan.
On Friday, 11 February, the Secretary-General will receive a degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science honoris causa from Tammasat University in Bangkok. Following the conferment, Mr. Annan will proceed to Pridi Plaza where he will lay a wreath to honour the late Professor Dr. Pridi Phanomyong, Founding Rector of the University.
Mr. Annan will also attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-United Nations Summit to be held on Saturday, 12 February at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.
Later that same day, Mr. Annan will attend the inaugural ceremony of the 10th Session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD X), also at Queen Sirikit Convention Centre, and attend the High-Level Round Table with Heads of Institutions of the United Nations System. The theme of the round table is: The institutional response to the challenges of globalization.
Mr. Annan will visit the headquarters of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), where he will meet with the Heads and staff of the UN agencies and programmes based in Thailand.
On the last day of their visit to Thailand (13 February), Mr. Annan will give a press conference at the Imperial Queens Park Hotel.
Mr. and Mrs. Annan will visit Singapore from 13-15 February. In Singapore Mr. and Mrs. Annan will visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre where an orchid will be named for him.
On Monday morning, 14 February, Secretary-General Annan will meet with the President of Singapore, Mr. S.R. Nathan, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and Professor S. Jayakumar, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and senior Ministers.
Mr. Annan will deliver the Singapore Lecture, organized by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), at the Westin Plaza Hotel on 14 February.
During the visit to Singapore Mrs. Nane Annan will visit the Raffles Girls School, Asian Civilization Museum and meet selected NGOs that deal with women's issues.
A press conference is also scheduled for Monday, 14 February.
Mr. and Mrs. Annan will depart Singapore on the morning of Tuesday, 15 February for Jakarta.
Editors: Please note that the exact times and locations of the press conferences in Singapore and Thailand will be conveyed to you shortly.