No extended stay for Asean leaders in PH
Southeast Asian leaders pose for a group photo following their retreat in the 30th ASEAN Leaders’ Summit Saturday, April 29, 2017 in Manila, Philippines. From left; Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Myanmar Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith. AP PHOTO
State leaders who participated in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit will start departing on Saturday, the same day the main event happened in Manila.
The first leader to leave the Philippines is Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Her flight is scheduled to depart 6 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 2 on Saturday.
Suu Kyi will leave right after the 30th Asean retreat and signing ceremony held at the Coconut Palace and the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), respectively.
Following Suu Kyi is Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He is scheduled to fly back to the city-state at 9:15 p.m. at Naia Terminal 1.
Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his wife First Lady Trat Nguyen Thu will leave at 9:30 p.m. Laos’ Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith and wife Naly Sisoulith’s flight will be at 11 p.m. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and wife Naraporn Chan-o-cha will leave 11:30 p.m.
Delegates from Vietnam, Laos and Thailand will all depart from Naia Terminal 1.
Meanwhile, Indonesian President Joko Widodo will stay behind for one more day. He and the rest of the Asean leaders will leave on Sunday morning.
The aircraft carrying Widodo and first lady Iriana Widodo will leave Villamor Airbase at 7:30 a.m.
Meanwhile at Naia Terminal 2, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will take an 8 a.m. flight to Cambodia. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor are also scheduled to leave the airport at 10 a.m.
The departure schedule of Brunei Darussalam’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who was the first to arrive in Manila last Wednesday, has yet to be announced.
The Philippines, as the chairman of this year’s Asean, hosted the series of meetings and events in Manila from April 26 to 29. IDL
