UNITED NATIONS, May 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will arrive in Myanmar Thursday to visit the areas hardest hit by cyclone Nargis, his spokesperson said Monday.

    Ban will also be expected to meet with senior Myanmarese government officials, Michele Montas told reporters.

    The secretary-general's objective is to reinforce the ongoing aid operation to see how the international relief and rehabilitation effort can be scaled up, and to work with Myanmar authorities to significantly increase the amount of aid flowing through Yangon to the Irrawaddy delta, Montas said.