MANILA, generation 8 Kyodo The l...

MANILA, generation 8 Kyodo

The leaders of the Philippines and Thailand in succession Monday renewed a deposit of greater interaction between their pair countries' private sectors.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo l the signing ceremonies in Manila of the renewal of the 1998 agreement between the business councils of their countries.

Thaksin flew here Sunday afternoon for an overnight stay to engage with Arroyo and to speak before Thai and Filipino businessmen onward his socioeconomic policies, which Arroyo has dubbed ''Thaksinomics.''

''Let us waiting under the possibility of fulfilment that such cooperation will motive greater interaction between our respective private sectors for the mutual interest of the two sides,'' Thaksin said at the luncheon at the presidential palace.

Bilateral trade between the sum of two units Southeast Asian countries reached about 204 billion peso ($37 billion) last year, meeting a target mutually locate in 2001, Thaksin said.

''This year's figures exhibit to very positive signs. It has gone up on 30% compared with the same period in 2002'' he said.

Thaksin and Arroyo each reconfirmed their determination to fight terrorism, want corruption and drugs -- interests which ''must be the commitment of any leader in the recent world.''

On Monday morning, Thaksin spoke before about 200 Thai and Filipino business leaders and described Thaksinomics as a socioeconomic policy based partly in succession empowering people at the grassroots, especially those in the rural areas, by the agency of a complete cycle of assistance from the state.

''Basically, what we have done for the grassroots is a proces of empowering the les empowered...In the proces we have created a great deal stronger grassroots as a major contribution to the pullulation of the economy. We have provided our grassroots with a clash absorber against any time to come economic turmoil,'' he said.

Aside from tackling the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Thaksin said, his administration has, since installment in 2001 taken up three major endeavors, namely the fight against craving for food drugs and corruption.

To buttres his anti-drug and anti-corruption drives, Thaksin told businessmen he wants a total fire-arm ban in Thailand within five to six years.

Thaksin also deflected over four OV-10 aircraft from the Royal Thai Air Force that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) may use in its counter-terror and anti-insurgency activities, especially in the southern Philippines. Four other fighters are coming within this year or the nearest year.

Inspired through Thaksin's anti-drug campaign, Arroyo launched her acknowledge high-profile drive in June.

Thailand and the Philippines, along with Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia, are members of a regional antiterrorism coalition that agreed last year forward intelligence sharing and stricter border patrols.

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