Brunei Sultan praises Thai handling of the south : PM
Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah praised Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont's handling of the insurgency in the south, saying the policy was on the right track, and urged the government to be patient with the problems.
Speaking after his audience with the Sultan, Surayud said Bolkiah has urged him to stay on the current course and continue to create understanding with the Malay-speaking region in the three southernmost provinces. Surayudh briefed the Sultan about his two recent trips to the deep South where he met with various groups, including student and religious leaders. The Sultan also relayed message to HM the King about his wishes for quick recovery following a surgery. The yesterday's trip to Brunei and Singapore was part of Surayud's tour to neighbouring countries to reassure that everything moves on as usual after the military staged a coup on September 19 which ousted the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Surayud was accompanied on the trip by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Pridiyathorn Devakula and Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram. In Singapore, Surayud met with his counterpart Lee Hsien Loong and with Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister, who currently holds a position of Minister Mentor to the cabinet. Analysts had previously said a visit to Singapore would be difficult because of the citystate's role in Thailand's political crisis, which culminated in Thaksin's ouster. Thaksin's family sold its 49 per cent stake in telecom giant Shin Corp to statelinked Singapore investment company Temasek Holdings for 1.9 billion dollars under a taxfree deal in January. The sale triggered months of street protests demanding Thaksin's resignation over alleged abuse of power and corruption, which eventually led to the bloodless coup against the billionaire businessman. After the buyout of Shin, a Temasekled group of investors increased its total stake to 96 per cent through a mandatory offer for the outstanding shares. The move sparked allegations of a possible violation of Thailand's foreign ownership rules, which say foreign investors can own up to 49 per cent in telecom companies. The question is whether local entities acted on Temasek's behalf, in which case their holdings might not be counted as separate. The postcoup Thai government has vowed to investigate the deal. A Thai court is due to hear a case against Shin for alleged violations of foreign ownership regulations. Both Temasek and Singapore officials have said the Shin deal complied with the law. The Nation
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