BANGKOK, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's new Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will visit Laos next month, as his first overseas visit, in a bid to strengthen the two countries' bilateral relations, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said on Friday.

    The Foreign Minister said this while presiding over the launching ceremony of a guidebook for journalists covering Thai-Lao relations, which is a joint project of Thai Journalists Association and Lao Journalists Associations, according to a report by The Nation news website.

    The guidebook is aimed at helping journalists to avoid using words or phrases that could lead to misunderstandings which can negatively affect the bilateral relations between these two neighboring countries.

    The Thailand's new government attempts to rebuild the international community's confidence in the country in all terms after Thailand's image has been hard hit by the domestic politicaldeadlock from late 2005.

    The new government is led by the Democrat Party after the previous government was dissolved by the Constitutional Court on election fraud charges.