Relations with US boosted by Trump call: PM

A BRIEF PHONE conversation with United States President Donald Trump has brought relations between Thailand and US closer |than they have been for years, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday.
“President Trump assured me that from now on bilateral ties between the countries would improve as they have never done before,” Prayut told reporters.
As Trump marked his first 100 days in office, he called Prayut from his personal cell-phone on Sunday night while the Thai premier was at his residence in a military camp.
During the 15-minute chat, senior officials such as deputy government spokesman Werachon Sukondha-patipak, were on hand to help with any technical or communication problems. 
“Prime Minister Prayut talked directly with President Trump in English while I helped him sometimes,” Werachon said, noting that the PM’s command of English was good enough for most of their talk.
Trump called several treaty allies in Southeast Asia - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong - as the tense situation on the Korean peninsula loomed large due to Pyongyang’s missile tests. 
Trump invited all three allies to visit Washington. While Duterte |hesitated to accept the invitation, Werachon said Prayut had agreed to go. However, Foreign Minister Don Pramuwinai said his ministry would consider later on the need for Prayut to visit the US once it receives a |formal invitation. 
Previously, Trump committed to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation and Asean summits in November, Don said, and noted there would be chances for the leaders to meet at these forums. 
Washington had little to say about Trump’s phone call to Prayut. 
The White House released a four-sentence statement on the phone conversation to media and the US Embassy in Bangkok said they had nothing to add. 
The government and local media made much of the rare and cordial contact from a US leader to Thailand’s military junta, since relations with the previous Barack Obama administration cooled after the 2014 coup. Before the phone call from Trump, Prayut’s office had anticipated that the situation in the Korean peninsula and South China Sea would be dominant issues in the conversation, according to Werachon. However, Trump did not make the points directly. “It was the Prime Minister who asked Trump about the regional concerns,” he said. 
Trump asked Prayut about Thai relations with China and Japan and told the Thai leader that Washington is on good terms with both countries. 
Prayut told Trump that he was committed to his road map to democracy and reconciliation and asked Trump about the imbalance in |bilateral trade. Although Thailand is on a “watch-list” of countries that have a trade surplus with the US, Trump said he wanted to boost trade and would send a delegation to |discuss the matter soon.