Thailand joining regional grouping vs terrorism

Thailand has agreed to join the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia in a regional anti-terrorism agreement, President Arroyo announced yesterday.

The President, who arrived in Bangkok Tuesday night for a two-day visit, said she asked Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to accede to the pact, which the three countries earlier signed in Kuala Lumpur.

"I informed the prime minister about it and he has agreed to make it a quadrilateral rather than a trilateral agreement," she said.

She did not say when Thailand will formally accede to the pact. Thai foreign ministry officials said they are now studying the agreement.

The pact strengthens border controls and allows the countries to share airline passenger lists to monitor suspected terrorists entering both countries.

Mrs. Arroyo said the Thai leader informed her his government was willing to actively participate in the joint efforts in fighting terrorism.

"He asked me to send them the copy so that they could do their accession to the agreement," the President said in an interview at the Durian Party she hosted the other night for members of the official delegation and media that accompanied her to Thailand.

Mrs. Arroyo and Thaksin held talks Tuesday aimed boosting trade and tourism between their countries.

They witnessed the signing of the Philippine-Thailand Sentence Exchange Ratification Agreement, a treaty on the repatriation of convicted criminals from each other’s countries.

GMA hails Pinoy migrant workers

The President described Filipino migrant workers in Thailand yesterday as "investors," as she exhorted them to show their host country their expertise, dedication and commitment to their work.

"We are proud of your contributions to Thai society and the boost you give to our national economy," she told workers during their meeting at the Ta Jeen and Maeklong ballrooms of the Oriental Hotel.

There are some 5,000 Filipinos in Thailand, most of them working as engineers, nurses and teachers.

"I encourage all of you to be our ambassadors of goodwill and to maintain friendly relations with the Thai government and the Thai people," Mrs. Arroyo said.

She cited the Thai government for its fair treatment of Filipino workers and migrants. She also lauded Philippine Embassy officials for addressing the concerns of Filipinos in Thailand.

The President also updated the Filipino community on the country’s continuing economic turnabout. She attributed a large part of the growth to the dollar remittances of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

"Despite the stark economy and uncertain world business conditions in 2001, we made progress during the first year of my administration," she said. "Our efforts are starting to pay off. Growth is respectable."

In her speech, the President also called on Filipino workers and migrants to actively participate in a tourism volunteer program.

She added that Philippine and Thai travel agencies and tour operators would be signing a number of agreements outlining tourism marketing strategies.

"We have engaged Thailand in a twinning program in which the two countries will be promoted as a single tourist destination to markets in Europe, the Americas and Oceana," the President said.

Mrs. Arroyo is also scheduled to visit Chulalongkorn University to receive an honorary degree in political science. She will also be meeting with Thai businessmen.