Thaksin vows to return

Hong Kong - Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced Tuesday that he would return to Thailand, possibly within weeks, after the victory of his allies in weekend elections.
Speaking at a press conference in Hong Kong, Thaksin said he would return to Thailand sometime between February and April, saying he wanted to return to politics but live as "a normal citizen."
The former prime minster, who was forced out of office by the military in September 2006, also said he would prove himself innocent of corruption charges laid against him by the military junta after he was deposed.
Thaksin, who has spent much of his time in Hong Kong since last year's coup, was speaking after the victory Sunday of the People Power Party in the first elections since the military takeover in Thailand.
The party won 232 of the 480 parliamentary seats up for grabs in the election, and its leader, Samak Sundaravej, said it would approach other parties to form a coalition government. (dpa)

One visa for Thailand and Cambodia

 

One visa for Thailand and Cambodia

source: The Nation

 

Thailand and Cambodia will sign a single visa agreement on Monday enabling visitors from outside to use only one visa for two countries, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram would sign the agreement with this Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong when he makes his official visit to Phnom Penh on Monday.
The pact was a pilot project under the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).
Set up since 2003, ACMECS is a joint development scheme made of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
Under the initiative of "Four countries, One Destination", the ACMECS Single Visa pact aimed to facilitate tourism in the region.
Foreign ministers of four countries agreed in Siem Riep in August 2005 to allow Thailand and Cambodia to implement the scheme first and the remaining members might join later if it is successful.
Visitors from outside could apply entry visa at embassies of either Thailand or Cambodia for two nations, said the ministry's spokesman Tharit Charungvat.
The arrangement would benefit for tourism of the two countries and visits apply only one visa to both Thailand and Cambodia which have many different attractive sites, he said.
However, the pact would not come into force until the Interior Ministry and concern agencies issued related regulations to enforce, Tharit said but did not say when such related regulations would be finished.

Taiwan Acts to Bar Judge; W.T.O. Upset

Taiwan Acts to Bar Judge; W.T.O. Upset
By REUTERS
Published: November 24, 2007
GENEVA, Nov. 23 (Reuters) — A move by Taiwan to block the appointment
of China's first judge on the World Trade Organization' s top court
threatens to plunge the W.T.O. into crisis and stoke tension between
the rival countries.

KOREA MAY ALLOW DUAL CITIZENSHIP IN FUTURE

The Korean government is considering allowing men who have served their military service and foreigners with certain skills to hold two passports.  Currently, male Koreans are allowed to hold citizenship from another country until they turn 18, when they must choose between the two.  Under the tentative new plan, Koreans who finished military duty at least two years before applying and non-Koreans with special skills would be eligible for dual citizenship.  For more information (in Korean only ).