Thailand declares new era of relations with Vietnam after cabinet meet
NAKHON PHANOM - Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Saturday declared the start of a "new era" of relations with Vietnam after an inaugural joint cabinet meeting concluded here.
"This meeting is historic and the start of a new era between Vietnam and Thailand," Thaksin said, adding that the two sides were now ready to substantially increase cooperation.The inaugural meeting began Friday at a luxury resort in the central Vietnamese city of Danang, in an initiative aimed at warming relations following decades of Cold War animosity.
Thaksin and his Vietnamese counterpart Phan Van Khai inaugurated a Thai-Vietnam friendship village in Nakhon Phanom, a northeastern province where Ho Chi Minh, the founding father of the Vietnamese Communist Party, once lived. During the joint meeting the ministers signed a total of 10 pacts including five in Danang on Friday and the remainder here Saturday.
Agreements made Friday included a pledge to cooperate on measures to tackle Asia's current bird flu outbreak and other public health concerns such as HIV/AIDS and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Both countries have had to defend themselves against accusations of initially covering up their outbreaks of the disease which has claimed 15 lives in Vietnam and seven in Thailand -- the region's largest poultry exporter.
Other agreements made Saturday and aimed at promoting peace and stability in the region included a resolution to share intelligence and cooperate in anti-terrorism activities.The talks also yielded an agreement for the two navies to work more closely together, to expand cooperation among their air forces and to share military intelligence.
Vietnam has asked Thailand to lower tariffs on its imports of agricultural products, the Thai cabinet said in a statement."Thailand agreed in principle and asked Vietnam to prepare a list of their agriculture products which they would like tax privileges on," it said.Vietnam also asked Thailand to promote tourism to Vietnam and eco-tourism along the Mekong river basin.
Khai and his entourage are scheduled to stay Sunday night under tight security in Nakhon Phanom, which is home to a sizeable Vietnamese community, and return to Vietnam on Sunday morning.Thaksin said Thailand is considering granting nationality to some 3,000 ethnic Vietnamese living in the kingdom but provincial governors must thoroughly check their background. "There are less than 1,000 Vietnamese who have not yet been granted Thai citizenship in Nakhon Phanom but if others from other provinces are included there could be up to 2,000 or 3,000 of them," he told reporters.
Thailand has held similar joint cabinet meetings with Malaysia, Cambodia and Singapore over the past year, and plans are under way for one with Indonesia.Vietnam and Thailand established diplomatic relations in 1976, a year after the end of the Vietnam War, during which US troops were based in Thailand.
Agence France Presse - February 22, 2004
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