, Foreign Minister of Thailand.BANGKOK, Feb 21 (TNA) - The new Thai government wants to rebuild relations, including trade and investment, with Singapore which became strained after the September 2006 Bangkok coup, Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said Thursday.
Mr. Noppadon told journalists in a telephone interview from Singapore that he had met with his Singapore counterpart George Yeo on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting, discussing projects conducted between the two countries which were suspended following the Sept 19, 2006 coup, with news that the activities would continue soon.
These projects include an exchange of training programs for civil servants, and trade and investment cooperation.
Mr. Noppadon said he had thanked his Singapore counterpart for providing care to more than 40,000 Thai workers now employed in the island country, and said that the kingdom is prepared to send more skilled Thai workers to work there.
He was scheduled to confer with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Thursday afternoon regarding bilateral relations.
Relations between the two Southeast Asian countries cooled after the military leaders who seized power in Thailand tried to buy back the satellite system sold by ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Singapore's Temasek Holdings, charging that the system was vital to Thailand's national security and was the country's property.
Mr. Noppadon went on to say that he had also discussed with his Cambodian counterpart who sought support and understanding from Thailand on Cambodia's attempts to have the ancient Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border ruins listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
He told the Cambodian foreign minister that Thailand had no plan to obstruct Cambodia's unilateral move to list the temple ruins as a World Heritage site provided that the action does not affect the ongoing disputed areas claimed by both countries.
Mr. Noppadon said the Thai government would consider another loan request of Bt1.4 billion sought by the Phnom Penh government for building a road on its territory to the temple.
Mr. Noppadon told journalists in a telephone interview from Singapore that he had met with his Singapore counterpart George Yeo on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting, discussing projects conducted between the two countries which were suspended following the Sept 19, 2006 coup, with news that the activities would continue soon.
These projects include an exchange of training programs for civil servants, and trade and investment cooperation.
Mr. Noppadon said he had thanked his Singapore counterpart for providing care to more than 40,000 Thai workers now employed in the island country, and said that the kingdom is prepared to send more skilled Thai workers to work there.
He was scheduled to confer with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Thursday afternoon regarding bilateral relations.
Relations between the two Southeast Asian countries cooled after the military leaders who seized power in Thailand tried to buy back the satellite system sold by ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Singapore's Temasek Holdings, charging that the system was vital to Thailand's national security and was the country's property.
Mr. Noppadon went on to say that he had also discussed with his Cambodian counterpart who sought support and understanding from Thailand on Cambodia's attempts to have the ancient Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border ruins listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
He told the Cambodian foreign minister that Thailand had no plan to obstruct Cambodia's unilateral move to list the temple ruins as a World Heritage site provided that the action does not affect the ongoing disputed areas claimed by both countries.
Mr. Noppadon said the Thai government would consider another loan request of Bt1.4 billion sought by the Phnom Penh government for building a road on its territory to the temple.
(TNA)-E111
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