Thai premier hospitalized over food poisoning--spokesman

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 13:24:00 04/01/2008

BANGKOK -- Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was hospitalized
Tuesday in Bangkok, after suffering food poisoning during a regional
summit in Laos, a spokesman said.

Samak became sick Monday after visiting a market in the Laotian
capital Vientiane, where he attended a summit of five Mekong River
nations, government spokesman Wichianchot Sukchotrat said.

The 72-year-old premier was taken to the private Bumrungrad Hospital,
and would not attend his weekly cabinet meeting Tuesday, the spokesman
said.

Samak also cancelled an audience with Crown Princess Maha Chakri
Sirindhorn, he added.

But the spokesman insisted Samak would be back on the job Wednesday,
when he is scheduled to officially launch a "war on drugs" to curb the
flow of narcotics through the kingdom.

Samak planned to go ahead with his plans to visit the Philippines and
Brunei this weekend, the spokesman added.