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Monday, November 19, 2012

The charmer-in-chief: Obama gets flirty as he schmoozes with Thai prime minister on first stop of historic Asia visit

 

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and DAILY MAIL REPORTER

President Obama is practicing a new brand of foreign relations, appearing to flirt with Thailand’s attractive prime minister on his first stop of his three-day tour of Southeast Asia.

The president and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra could be seen laughing together and exchanging playful glances throughout a state dinner at the Government House in Bangkok on Sunday night.

They were joined by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who toasted to the U.S.-Thailand friendship with Shinawatra.

Why hello there: President Obama shakes hands with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra as he arrives at the Government House in Bangkok, ThailandWhy hello there: President Obama shakes hands with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra as he arrives at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand

Glances: Obama enjoys a joke with Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra during a state dinner in ThailandGlances: Obama enjoys a joke with Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra during a state dinner in Thailand

Welcome tour: Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra, right, looks back at President Obama during a press conference in BangkokWelcome tour: Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra, right, looks back at President Obama during a press conference in Bangkok

Obama will next visit Myanmar - also known as Burma - followed by Cambodia this week.
He said it is 'no accident' that he planned his first foreign trip to Asia after winning re-election.

Speaking at a news conference on Sunday in Bangkok, Obama emphasized that the U.S. is a 'Pacific nation.'

He said the Asia-Pacific region will be crucial for creating jobs in the U.S. and shaping its security and prosperity.

Obama's praised Thailand for being a supporter of democracy in Myanmar, the once-pariah state that is rapidly reforming.

All in the eyes: Prime Minister Shinawatra shoots Obama a seductive glance as the two meet on his arrival in Bangkok
All in the eyes: Prime Minister Shinawatra shoots
Obama a seductive glance as the two meet on his 

arrival in Bangkok


He said he appreciated the Thai prime minister's insights into Myanmar during their meetings on Sunday.

The president's visit made quite an impression on Thailand, and adoring crowds gathered around him and chanted ‘Obama, Obama’ as he visited the Temple of Reclining Buddha just after arriving in Bangkok.

The Temple of Reclining Buddha, formally known as Wat Pho, was the first stop on President Barack Obama's Asian tour that will also take him to Myanmar and Cambodia.

Observing traditional custom, Obama took off his shoes as a saffron-robed monk led him and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton through the 18th century temple's stoned paved compound of multi-colored spires and chapels with hundreds of gilded Buddha images.

But the main attraction is the reclining Buddha statue that at 150 feet long, and 50 feet high, stretches half the length of a football field.
The statue is made of bricks and plaster and covered in gold leaf with mother-of-pearl inlay decorating the feet.

A smiling Obama waved from the back seat of his armored Cadillac, which drove slowly alongside cheering crowds as he headed to a royal audience with Thailand's revered, ailing monarch, 84-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

'Yes! I saw him! And he was waving at us!' said 72-year-old American tourist Elizabeth Simon visiting Thailand with her 74-year-old sister.

Foreign policy: The president and the prime minister could be seen laughing together and exchanging playful glances throughout a state dinner at the Government House in Bangkok
Foreign policy: The president and the prime minister could be seen laughing together and exchanging playful glances throughout a state dinner at the Government House in Bangkok

Friendly: Obama and Shinawatra burst into laughter during the press conferenceFriendly: Obama and Shinawatra burst into laughter during the press conference

Go East: Barack Obama and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra review an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at Government House in Bangkok Go East: Barack Obama and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra review an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at Government House in Bangkok

They were at the beach in Pattaya two hours away but rushed to Bangkok just to see him. 'I'm so thrilled that he won the election. When we heard he was coming, we decided to get here.'

While in Asia, however, Obama will be dividing his attention by monitoring the escalating conflict between Israel and the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Obama has been in regular contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as with Egyptian and Turkish leaders who might hold sway with the Hamas leadership.

Obama said that his landmark visit to Myanmar is an acknowledgement of the democratic transition underway but not an endorsement of the country's government.

Obama's words were aimed at countering critics who say his trip to the country also known as Burma is premature.

Read more: dailymail.co.uk

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