RI-S'pore extradition treaty tough: Yeo

RI-S'pore extradition treaty tough: Yeo

Progress has been made in negotiations for an extradition treaty
between Singapore and Indonesia but "difficult issues" remain to
be resolved, Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo said on
Monday.

"Since my last update to the House, there have been five
rounds of talks and good progress has been made," Yeo told
parliament.

"But it is not an easy agreement to negotiate. There are
difficult issues to work through, some of which would require
changing laws in Singapore and Indonesia."

Jakarta considers an extradition treaty as crucial in its
fight against corruption, saying such a pact would allow
Indonesian authorities to run after alleged corrupt officials and
business people who stash their money in the city-state.

Singapore, a regional financial center, has insisted it has
enough safeguards to prevent the country from becoming a magnet
for laundered funds.

Yeo said on Monday officials from both sides will meet soon to
continue negotiations, which will be carried out in parallel with
talks for a Defense Cooperation Agreement and a Counter-Terrorism
Agreement.

Last February, visiting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong agreed
to speed up talks on the proposed extradition treaty.

Yeo was upbeat on overall bilateral ties, saying that from
2001-2004, Singapore was consistently ranked among the top five
investors in Indonesia.

Singapore, whose armed forces gave a crucial lifeline to
Indonesia's Aceh province in the immediate aftermath of the
December tsunami disaster, is moving forward with assistance in
the post-tsunami rehabilitation, Yeo said.

Among these projects is the construction of a pier in
Meulaboh, the biggest Indonesian town nearest to the epicenter of
the massive Indian Ocean earthquake and giant waves which killed
131,000 in Aceh province. --AFP