VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 04/05/2007 -- Southwestern Resources Corp. (TSX: SWG) ("Southwestern" or "the Company") has appointed Patrick Downey to its Board of Directors, effective April 5, 2007. Mr. Downey brings 25 years experience in the resource industry on four continents. Mr. Downey was President, CEO and Director of Viceroy Exploration Ltd. prior to Yamana Gold Inc.'s 2006 acquisition of Viceroy. Prior to that he was President of Consolidated Trillion Resources Ltd. and Oliver Gold Corporation, where he negotiated the successful merger to form Canico Resource Corp. He has held senior engineering positions on several large-scale gold mining operations including La Coipa in Chile and Placer Dome's Misima and Porgera mines in Papua New Guinea while Vice President of Rescan Engineering Ltd. and Project Manager for Kilborn Engineering Ltd. He has also held operating engineering positions at several mining projects for Anglo American Corporation in South Africa. Mr. Downey is also a director of a number of other resource companies.

About Southwestern

Southwestern is a Vancouver-based mineral exploration company engaged in the identification, acquisition, evaluation and exploration of gold, silver and base metals mineral properties in China and Peru. At the end of 2006, the Company had $46 million in cash and short-term investments, $41 million market value of other investments, and no debt. Southwestern is a reporting issuer in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol SWG.

Forward-looking Statements

Statements in this release that are forward-looking are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed in the Company's Annual Information Form for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Such information contained herein represents management's best judgment as of the date hereof based on information currently available. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.