India’s Prime Minister visits Thailand; India and Thailand sign extradition treaty; Cambodia blocks Thai border; China condemns the Philippines over grounded ship; Demand for poll review rises in Malaysia; World Bank to support trade facilitation in Laos
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    • Reports noted that Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on May 30, 2013 arrived in Bangkok on a two-day visit during which he had talks with his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra to outline the framework of a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement and elevate bilateral ties into a strategic partnership. The previous talks in New Delhi last November made some progress, but the major task to overcome is to fine-tune how to open access to both countries' service sectors. An early harvest scheme of the free-trade agreement, with tariff exemption for 84 items of goods, has been in force since January 2010, resulting in a high-level of bilateral trade. Two-way trade between the two countries reached US$ 9.2 billion in 2012-13. 1
    In another development, according to reports, during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Thailand, India and Thailand signed an extradition treaty and ratified the treaty on the transfer of sentenced persons. Both the treaties are welcome news for India since Thailand’s visa-easy regime makes it easy for many known Indian gangsters to operate from outside the country. In a statement to the media after Singh held talks with his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra, the PM said, “Our growing security cooperation received a major boost today.” In January 2013, Indian officials had travelled to Bangkok and handed over evidence like fingerprints and DNA samples to the Thai authorities to strengthen India’s case for his extradition. The extradition treaty signed today will help India now to seek Jhingada’s extradition. 2
    In another development, according to reports, on June 1, 2013, two Cambodian military men, allegedly involved in smuggling of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from Thailand into Cambodia, blocked the road during a protest at the Thai-Cambodian Friendship Bridge opposite Klong Luek checkpoint in Aranyaprathet against stricter border pass checking by Thailand. A regulation requiring people driving personal cars into Thai-land to present their passports came into effect yesterday. But on request from Cambodia, the checkpoint temporarily let drivers pass if they showed a border pass with the proper stamp, until Cambodia provides passports to all after the election. 3
    Reports noted that China condemned the Philippines on May 31, 2013, over a Filipino warship grounded on a Chinese reef in the South China Sea. It described the illegal grounding of the vessel on the Ren'ai Reef as a "serious encroachment of territorial sovereignty", and warned Manila not to stir up the situation in the South China Sea any further. It is believed that Beijing acted in response to an attempt by the Philippines to assert territorial claims by keeping the warship stranded on the reef since 1999. According to the Chinese media reports, after the warship was grounded on the reef, Beijing repeatedly asked Manila to retrieve it, but the Philippines ignored the request despite having promised to tow the ship away. 4
    According to reports, Malaysian Election Commission (EC) will soon begin a review of election laws and voter registration procedures to deal with complaints such as unusually large number of voters registered at the same address. Among the matters being considered by the commission was to seek the power to “remove” voters who do not live at the address and update the registration in accordance with the address listed in their MyKad. Representatives of political parties appointed by the EC as assistant voter registrars are allowed to sign up new voters but both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat have traded accusations of “shifting” voters by getting supporters to change their address and be registered in constituencies where their side could win. One of the problems the Malaysian EC faced in dealing with such cases was its inability to strike out the name of any voter from an address even when the commission was sure that the voter had never lived there or was no longer staying at the place. It is also said that if it was deemed necessary, the EC would also recommend to the government new measures, amendments to laws or even to abolish the laws altogether so that they could be replaced with new legislation. 5
    In other developments, according to reports, the World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved US$6.5 million in additional grant financing on May 28 for the Customs and Trade Facilitation Project in Laos. The grant builds on the achievements of the original International Development Association (IDA) grant of US$6 million, which was approved in 2008, according to the World Bank Office in Vientiane on May 30, 2013. The newly approved financing compliments the Bank's support for the programme which is aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of customs administration and simplifying customs processes and procedures to eliminate duplication, redundancy, reduce transaction costs and time to clear goods. The Customs and Trade Facilitation Project also aims to support government objectives in achieving high rates of economic growth that translate into meaningful poverty reduction, increased transparency and accountability. The project forms part of an ambitious and integrated country trade programme supported by the World Bank in partnership with Australia, the European Union, Germany and Ireland. 6

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