The President, Mrs McAleese, leaves Ireland today for her first State visit to the Far East.
Mrs McAleese will stop off in Thailand for an official visit, before travelling to Malaysia, where she will have a three-day State visit.
She will be accompanied by the Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey, and senior executives from Enterprise Ireland. Officials from Áras an Uachtaráin, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs will also travel.
In Thailand, Mrs McAleese will meet the King, His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej, in Hua Hin. She will also meet the Thai Prime Minister, Dr Thaksin Shinawatra, in Bangkok.
Mrs McAleese will officially launch the new Asia-Ireland Chamber of Commerce in Bangkok on Friday, before travelling to Phuket to attend the Asian Gaelic Games at the weekend.
Teams of Irish expats from all over Asia, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Japan and Singapore, will participate in the games which are an annual event. Money raised will be presented to local charities. Mrs McAleese will present prizes on Sunday afternoon.
Her itinerary in Phuket will also include a visit to the Life Home Project, an organisation which cares for mothers and children affected by HIV and AIDS.
Mrs McAleese will then travel to Malaysia on Monday for the start of a three-day State visit. She will be officially welcomed by His Majesty, Yang di-Pertuan Agong, in Kuala Lumpur.
She will also meet Prime Minister Mahathir.
During her visit to the Malaysian capital, the President will address the Malaysian Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations, and attend a lunch hosted by the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia and Enterprise Ireland.
On Wednesday, October 2nd, Mrs McAleese will have engagements in Penang, including a visit to Penang Medical College to meet Malaysian students who have studied in Ireland.
Mrs McAleese will be accompanied by her husband, Dr Martin McAleese.