Burma's Prime Minister Lieutenant General Soe Win is to leave later this week for visits to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Government officials say the prime minister will begin his tour Wednesday. The trip comes amid controversy surrounding Burma's assumption of the revolving chair of the ten-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2006.
Some ASEAN members worry that allowing Burma to take over the leadership could threaten the organization's reputation and relationship with Western nations. But Cambodia has said it will support Burma's leadership.
Other ASEAN member nations include Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Information for this report is provided by AP and AFP.
