US FIRST LADY
ASSAWIN PHINITWONG & SUPAMART KASEM
TAK : Authorities are getting ready for next week's visit to this northern border province by US First Lady Laura Bush. Governor Chumporn Polrak has discussed security plans and reception procedures with security authorities and officers from the United States embassy to Thailand in Mae Sot district in preparation for the visit.
Among the places the first lady is expected to visit are Mae Tao clinic in Mae Sot district and Mae La, the Karen refugee camp near the Thai-Burmese border which houses some 60,000 refugees.
US authorities have not unveiled a detailed itinerary of Mrs Bush for security reasons.
A source close to provincial authorities said that more than 100 US security officers have already arrived in Mae Sot to map out security measures for the first lady.
Cynthia Maung, director of Mae Tao clinic, said yesterday the clinic is making preparations for the visit.
Mrs Bush is scheduled to visit the clinic, which provides health care and child protection services to ethnic refugees, on Aug 7.
''Besides our medical and health care services to Burmese immigrants and Karen people along the border, we want to show her our child protection programme,'' said Mrs Maung, who won the Magsaysay Award for community leadership in 2007.
She said the clinic's child protection programme provides education to thousands of children each year.
They are the children of immigrant workers, refugees and internally displaced persons.
Mrs Maung said more than 13,000 children sought help at the clinic last year, while the total number of patients was 114,842. Mrs Bush will be accompanying her husband President George W Bush, who is to make a two-day visit to celebrate the 175th anniversary of Thai-US bilateral relations next week.
The Women's League of Burma (WLB) has welcomed a planned meeting between Mr Bush and Burmese dissidents in Bangkok on Aug 6.
Hseng Noung, a member of the WLB, said she hopes the president would address human rights issues in Burma.
Mrs Bush is also expected to raise the issue of human rights in Burma.
However, a local security official is concerned the US president will raise human rights issues during his visit in Thailand.
He said Thailand's border dispute with Cambodia has not yet been settled, and Thailand will be in a difficult situation if Burma is not happy with the US president's remarks.
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