The Thai Defence Ministry will welcome Burma’s supreme commander who will pay an official visit to Thailand on Friday to strengthen the two nation’s ties.

Supreme Commander Gen Tanasak Patimapragorn, who also serves as deputy chief of Thailand’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), and army chief and NCPO head Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, will welcome Burma’s military commander-in-chief, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, on Friday to tighten military ties.

The visit by Burma’s military will be the second made by the head of a foreign military since the May 22 coup, after Malaysia’s Supreme Commander Tan Sri Dato’ Zulkifeli bin Mohd Zin met Thai army leaders in Bangkok early last month.

Meanwhile, Gen Tanasak has returned from an official visit to India between Saturday and Monday.

Gen Tanasak met Indian Supreme Commander Bikram Singh to discuss the annual Cobra Gold military exercise that will take place between July 25 and Aug 8 in Thailand, in which India will also participate.

Gen Tanasak was the first foreign guest to have paid a visit to India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government took office in May.

Gen Tanasak also met Indian Finance Minister and Defence Minister Shri Arun Jaitley to discuss economic and socially sustainable growth across Asia.

Also included in the discussion between Gen Tanasak and Indian finance minister was the issue of building a possible land transport route from India to Thailand through Myanmar.

Gen Tanasak’s Indian visit reflects the good relationship between the two nations, a military source said. The source said India understands the need for Thailand’s coup.

This article was originally published in the Bangkok Post on 2 July 2014.

[related]