"We have some problems with Thailand and Indonesia but they are not big problems. Generally speaking, our overall relations with Thailand and Indonesia remain good."

Bilateral ties with Thailand were strained when the family of then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra sold a 49 percent stake in Thai telecom giant Shin Corp to Singapore's state-linked investment firm Temasek Holdings in a tax-free deal in 2006.

The deal angered the Thai public and led to months of street protests which sparked the military coup that overthrew Thaksin in September.

The sale also handed Temasek control of Shin Satellite, Thailand's only satellite operator, prompting calls from Thai coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin for a return of "national assets."

Sonthi voiced fears Singapore would use the Shin telecom satellites to spy on Thailand, and has ordered military officials to use walkie-talkies instead of cell phones to prevent eavesdropping.

Relations further deteriorated when Thaksin was allowed to hold a private meeting in the city-state with Singapore Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar despite objections from Thailand.

The latest irritant to Singapore-Indonesia ties came from a decision by Jakarta to ban the export of land sand, a key ingredient to produce concrete used in the island-nation's booming construction industry.

Environmentalists have said sand mining in several areas, especially in the Riauis lands near Singapore, has led to the extinction of several fish species, destruction of coral reefs and the disappearance of a number of small islands.

Singapore has expressed disappointment at the ban and has disputed Indonesian claims of environmental damage and the potential impact on its boundaries.

Agence France-Presse