Phnom Penh - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen returned from
a three-day official visit to Myanmar Wednesday, with the country
declaring it had successfully negotiated for direct flights between
the two nations.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, who accompanied Hun Sen,
told a press conference that the two nations had agreed to the
flights in an effort to boost tourism between the two culturally rich
nations.
'There will be direct flights from Bagan and Mandalay ... to Siem
Reap,' he told reporters without naming a date on which the first
flights will be available.
Bagan and Mandalay are two cultural hubs of Myanmar, also known as
Burma. Siem Reap is the gateway to the 800-year-old Angkor Wat temple
and a world famous collection of surrounding temples which form the
keystone of Cambodia's booming tourism industry.
Hor Namhong said the two nations shared a similar Buddhist culture
and the direct flights were a natural extension to both country's
tourism sectors.
He said direct flights between Myanmar and the Cambodian capital
Phnom Penh were also planned in the near future.
Although opponents to Myanmar's harsh ruling military junta have
tried to discourage tourism, saying it only supports a government
notorious for human rights abuses, Cambodia has taken the traditional
Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) line that Myanmar's
politics are an internal issue for the Myanmar government.
Both Myanmar and Cambodia are members of the 10-nation ASEAN bloc
and Cambodia has actively sought to increase inter-ASEAN tourism in
recent years and has maintained cordial bilateral ties to Myanmar.
Hun Sen was also accompanied by Tourism Minister Thong Kong and
Commerce Minister Cham Prasith on his visit, which Hor Namhong said
had also further strengthened bilateral trade ties.
ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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