Thailand, Canada sign probe accord

Thailand, Canada sign probe accord

BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand and Canada have signed an agreement to share evidence in international criminal investigations, a Canadian Embassy official said yesterday.

The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, concluded in Ottawa on Sunday, lays down basic guidelines for passing evidence and assisting investigations in cases which affect both countries, he said.

The pact, the result of a year of negotiations which ended in August, follows a legal agreement in which Canada and Thailand exchange prisoners from one another's countries after they have served a portion of their jail sentences.

The official said Canada had been making an effort to sign similar agreements with other countries in Southeast Asia.