Singapore foreign minister visits India; Thailand signs Tablet deal with China; Protests against China in the Philippines; China, Thailand conduct joint naval exercise; India likely to withdraw from Vietnam oil block; Malaysian Airlines to start more flig
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    • According to reports, Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam arrived in New Delhi on a three-day introductory official visit to India during which he co-chaired the second Joint Ministerial Committee Meeting on bilateral cooperation between the two nations with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna. Shanmugam, who was on a visit to India from May 7 to May 10, 2012 during his stay in Delhi called on Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. He also met with the Minister of Law and Justice and Minister of Minority Affairs and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Shanmugam also visited Guwahati and Ahmedabad. 1

    In another development, the Thai Information and Communication Technology Ministry signed a US $ 32.8 million contract on May 10, 2012, to buy the first batch of 400,000 computer tablets from a Chinese supplier. The deal with Shenzhen Scope Scientific Development follows a one-and-a-half-month delay. The company must deliver all the tablets within 60 days of the contract signing or "face a fine for each day's delay", ICT Minister Anudith Nakornthap said. The first lot of 2,000 tablets will be delivered to the ICT Ministry next week. Shenzhen Scope Scientific Development, the maker of the Scopad brand, offered a price of US $ 81 per unit for the government's One Tablet per Child project. According to reports, an ICT Ministry source said they are working with several insurance firms to come up with a warranty model to charge 300 baht a year as an insurance premium. 2

    Reports noted that shortly after China launched deep water oil rigging in South China Sea hundreds of Filipinos on May 11, 2012 rallied outside the Chinese embassy in Manila to protest against Beijing’s alleged flexing of the muscles against Philippines over territorial disputes in the region. Filipinos have planned similar rallies in Australia, New York, Canada, Hong Kong and other places. As the rally was planned earlier a large posse of policemen was posted outside the embassy. 3

    According to reports, Chinese and the Thai naval forces personnel started joint military training Zhanjiang in south China's Guangdong province on May 11, 2012. China and Thailand respectively sent teams of 372 members and 126 members to participate in the training, codenamed Blue Commando-2012. The training, focusing on anti-terrorism, consists of field survival training and other drills, as well as seminars. The training is the second of its kind by the two navies' marine forces since 2010. 4

    Reports noted that India is likely to withdraw from an oil block in the South China Sea after hydrocarbons did now show up in an exploratory well. Vietnam has also been conveyed about plans to terminate operations on commercial considerations. The block has been at the centre of much diplomatic problems between China, Vietnam and India that included demarches, summons and affirmations of sovereignty over the same patch of sea. 5

    In other developments, according to reports, Malaysian Airlines is looking at enhancing air connectivity to India, especially to Tier-II cities. "We are looking at more connectivity to India and are evaluating the market here," Malaysian Airlines General Manager (Western India) Nur Shaffik Haris said that in a media interview. 6

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