Thailand, Laos to sign labor accord

Thailand, Laos to sign labor accord

THAILAND: Thailand and Laos have agreed to sign a labor accord in November to regulate thousands of Lao workers seeking jobs in Thailand, according to a media report on Sunday.

The two countries will sign the accord in the sidelines of the annual ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, Thai foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai was cited by the Nation newspaper as saying.

The neighboring countries spent three days from Thursday holding a bilateral meeting in the Lao capital of Vientiane hosted by Surakiart and his Lao counterpart, Somsavat Lengsavad.

Surakiart reportedly said that the accord -- which Laos wants to see protect thousands of Lao migrant workers in Thailand -- was not signed after the meeting as earlier planned because the two sides could not reach common ground on legal technicalities.

The issue of Lao dissident groups using Thailand as a base for their struggle against the communist-ruled country was also raised during the meeting. --AFP

;AFP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Myanmar-internet First internet cafes to open in Myanmar: report JP/9/ASEAN

First internet cafes to open

MYANMAR: The first cyber cafes in military-ruled Myanmar are set to open from November, with five slated for the capital and another five for the northern city of Mandalay, according to a media report here.

Full access to the Internet will not however be permitted, the Myanmar Times reported in its edition to be published Monday.

The local Myanmar intranet provides access to a limited number of websites.

Bagan Cybertech, a semi-government organization established last year, is to be the internet service provider (ISP) for the cafes.

Prior to its establishment, Myanmar's state-owned Post and Telecommunications was the country's only ISP and provided e-mail services only. --AFP

;AP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Malaysia-Canada-Visas Malaysia's Mahathir slams Canada's new visa requirement JP/9/ASEAN

Mahathir slams Canada's visa rule

MALAYSIA: Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Sunday slammed Canada's decision to require visas for Malaysian visitors as illogical and discriminatory.

The visa requirement, announced by Canadian immigration officials last week, has sparked condemnation from authorities in this predominantly Muslim Southeast Asian country.

Ottawa has said the change was due to concern that Malaysian passports were vulnerable to abuse by people trying to enter Canada illegally.

Mahathir said the reason given for the decision seemed flimsy. If Malaysian passports were easy to abuse, "it has been so for a long time, and they have not discriminated against us (until last week). Why now?" Mahathir was quoted as saying by the national news agency, Bernama.

The Canadian government announced similar visa requirements earlier this month for Saudi Arabian travelers, for the same reasons. Citizens from 145 other countries need visas to enter Canada. --AP

;AP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Thailand-Military Prime minister's favorites to get top military jobs: report JP/9/ASEAN

PM's buddies for top military jobs

THAILAND: Two cousins and a number of former classmates of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be stepping into senior military posts in a controversial reshuffle of the ranks, newspapers said on Sunday.

The annual reshuffle, which takes effect Tuesday, involves 504 generals, including Gen. Chaiyasith Shinawatra and Gen. Uthai Shinawatra who are related to the prime minister, The Nation said.

In an unprecedented promotion, Chaiyasith was moved from a relatively minor position to that of an army assistant commander. Uthai will get a key job in the Defense Ministry.

A number of former classmates from Thaksin's days in the military pre-cadet school are also slated for major positions in the armed services, the newspaper said.

Critics say loyalty to the prime minister rather than professional competence is being used as a yardstick for promotion. --AP

;AP;KOD; ANPAu.r.. Aglance-Malaysia-robbery Notorious crime gang pulls off jewelry heist at Malaysian shopping JP/9/ASEAN

Notorious gang pulls off jewelry heist

MALAYSIA: Armed robbers stormed two jewelry stores in Malaysia's largest shopping mall on Sunday, firing shots in the air before escaping with 2.5 million ringgit (US$658,000) worth of gold trinkets, police said.

Two groups totaling seven men - believed to be members of the notorious M-16 Gang - burst into both stores in the Mid-Valley Megamall simultaneously Sunday morning, less than 15 minutes after the outlets opened, said Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Dell Akbar Khan.

The robbers wore ski masks and wielded three M-16 rifles and two pistols, Dell was quoted as saying by the national news agency, Bernama. They fired 15 warning shots during the raid, which took about four minutes. No one was injured.

The men, believed to be responsible for at least 10 robberies totaling 27 million ringgit (US$7.1 million), fled in a getaway van parked outside the mall. The vehicle was later found abandoned on a nearby street. --AP

;AP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Cambodia-AIDS Official: Over half a million Cambodians to be AIDS victims by 2010 JP/9/ASEAN

0.5m to succumb to AIDS by 2010

CAMBODIA: More than half a million Cambodians will suffer or die with AIDS by 2010 in what a senior health official on Sunday described as the country's new "killing field."

Tia Phalla, secretary-general of Cambodia's National AIDS Authority, said every Cambodian, from villagers to the prime minister, had to help fight the disease.

Diseases related to AIDS, first discovered in Cambodia in 1991, have killed about 90,000 people in this country of 12.5 million. Another 160,000 people are currently believed to be infected.

Tia Phalla made his comments ahead of Cambodia's second national AIDS conference, scheduled to begin Monday. --AP