WASHINGTON: US President George Bush is set to travel to Asia for a three-country farewell tour this week, his ninth trip to the region as US leader.

He'll first visit South Korea and Thailand, before heading to Beijing for the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Mr Bush views it as a sporting event, but he is expected to press China on human rights and religious freedoms.

Meanwhile, President Bush's first port of call will be to a close ally, Lee Myung-Bak. The South Korea President has been struggling to deal with the political fallout since resuming US beef imports only days ago. The two men will also discuss the six-party talks.

Mr Bush's trip coincides with a deadline for the US Congress to make comments on whether Washington should take North Korea off its list of state sponsors of terrorism. If North Korea's response to a set of protocols on verifying its nuclear facilities is deemed inadequate, the whole process could be stalled.

Bob Einhorn, Center for Strategic and International Studies, said: "The risk of this process going off the rails is quite significant. And if there is a significant delay in disablement, it will mean that the third and the crucial phase of this process - dismantlement of North Korea's capabilities - will be deferred even more and unlikely even to be discussed in the remainder of the Bush administration."

After South Korea, President Bush will visit Thailand, where he will see the efforts being made to get aid to the victims of Cyclone Nargis in neighbouring Myanmar.

Laura Bush is expected to travel without her husband to a refugee camp close to the Myanmar border.

Michael Green, Center for Strategic and International Studies, said: "She'll go to refugee camps, she'll meet with dissidents, she'll meet with ethnic minority NGOs, the Karen and the Shan and others. She'll meet with the aid workers.

"President Bush will get a briefing on the cyclone. He will probably meet with some Burmese exile leaders in Bangkok. That's all important, but it's tricky."

Mr Bush is critical of Myanmar's neighbours for not joining the US in imposing tough sanctions on the military government. However, he has also praised Thailand's democracy and its ability to deal with refugees on its borders.

And after Thailand, it is on to China. President Bush said he will press the leadership on human rights and religious freedoms.

He will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games despite criticism from some human rights groups. Mr Bush has also made time to take in some of the Olympic sporting events in Beijing.

But as he returns to Washington, facing his final six months in office, President Bush could still be facing some tough choices on Asian affairs, before he crosses the finish line. - CNA/vm