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Nancy Pasipanodya
07.APR.07
Ex www.talkzimbabwe.com 12 April, 2007
President Robert Mugabe and the First Lady, Grace, are in the Thai city of Chiang Rai where they are building a mansion and have various other investments, TalkZimbabwe can reveal.
Sources close to Mugabe's wife Grace revealed that she has been in the Thai city since the beginning of March where she is putting final touches to a mansion where the First Family is tipped to retire.
Our source, a close relative of the First Lady revealed that she [First Lady] fell in love with the resort town of Chiang Rai when she went with President Mugabe on his five-day visit to the country in 2001.
Chiang Rai is the northernmost province of Thailand and is about 785 kilometers north of the capital, Bangkok. It is described as "a travelers paradise endowed with abundant natural tourist attractions and antiquities; the province itself is evidence of past civilization."
"Grace loves the warm weather and the welcoming people of Thailand. She went to Thailand last month and has been meeting with builders and decorators putting finishing touches to their 'retirement' mansion," says our source.
"Since the EU travel ban, Grace has been spending more time in the region and Malaysia and Hong Kong are her favourite places. The people there love her and respect her just like their own First Lady. They help her pick authentic pieces of art and sometimes donate crafts to her. They are a very popular couple in Asia and Grace loves the attention."
President Mugabe is said to have found favour with the current Prime Minister of Thailand [incumbent] and head of Thailand's Interim Government, General Surayud Chulanont.
Surayud's government is a controversial one. Coming to power late last year, he raised the military budget by 35% and was accused of economic mismanagement, rampant human rights abuses, allowing the escalation of the South Thailand insurgency, and flip-flopping on numerous policies.
Meanwhile, President Mugabe, and his 20-strong team, is scheduled to visit Malaysia tomorrow for the Kualar Lumpur Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Mugabe's attendance to the Formula One circuit is likely to spark controversy with critics of F1. According to rumours at Sepang, Malaysia, more controversy could be sparked by the attendance of Mugabe, his family and the 20-strong entourage.
The governing body of F1, the FIA, last year expressed anger after Turkish officials turned the podium ceremony into a widely-reported political saga.
FIA president Max Mosley, in a news conference refused to answer questions on President Mugabe's impending attendance to the circuit.
"We will not politicise the Grand Prix. Many people are looking forward to the 2007 Season and we are learning from our mistakes from last year where politics almost got in the way. Our neutrality is very important," said Mosley.
The President is expected back in the country on Tuesday next week. Vice President Joseph Msika is Acting President in Mugabe's absence.
- TalkZimbabwe ----- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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