KUALA LUMPUR — Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has postponed his visit to Malaysia for the Asean Summit following the death of Her Majesty Queen Mother Sirikit, whose passing was announced last night.
The Bureau of the Royal Household said the Queen Mother died at 9.21pm at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok.
This morning, the Thai national flag at Government House was lowered to half-mast as the country entered a period of mourning.
Anutin, who also serves as interior minister, was due to fly to Kuala Lumpur today to attend the 47th Asean Summit, which begins tomorrow.
However, he will instead chair an emergency cabinet meeting to organise funeral arrangements for the late Queen Mother, reported the Bangkok Post.
A government spokesperson said the prime minister’s trip may be delayed to Sunday, when he was scheduled to participate in the signing of a Thai-Cambodia ceasefire agreement, an event that US President Donald Trump is set to witness.
Efforts are underway to reschedule the signing. If the timing cannot be adjusted, Foreign Affairs Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow will sign the deal on Anutin’s behalf.
The ceasefire pact follows U.S.-brokered negotiations that ended a deadly five-day border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia in July.
Meanwhile, Asean foreign ministers convened in Kuala Lumpur today to begin a weekend of high-stakes diplomacy involving regional partners, including the U.S. and China.
The summit is expected to emphasise trade multilateralism, regional stability, and deeper engagement with emerging economies, while formally welcoming East Timor as Asean’s 11th member.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are set to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on the sidelines to discuss trade tensions, days after Trump threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Chinese imports starting November 1. — October 25, 2025