Bangkok--Jul 2--MFA
1 The Eighth Coordinating Meeting of the Thailand-Singapore Civil Service Exchange Programme (CSEP) was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 29-30 June 2008. H.E. Mr. Noppadon Pattama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and H.E. Mr. George Yeo, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore presided over the opening ceremony.
2 On 29 June 2008, the Meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and Mr. Peter Ho, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore. On 30 June 2008, the Meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Norachit Sinhaseni, Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and Mr. Peter Ho. Senior officials from both countries' civil service participated in the Meeting.
3 Since its inception in 1997, CSEP has played an important role in promoting closer contact and enhancing cooperation between the various agencies of both countries, guided by the overall vision of the Singapore-Thailand Enhanced Partnership (STEP).
4 The Seventh CSEP Meeting in Singapore in August 2005 acknowledged that in recent years, Thailand and Singapore are faced with common challenges arising from the changes in regional landscape. The Meeting, therefore, decided to introduce a new modality for conducting subsequent CSEP Meetings in order to cope with new reality and to meet with common challenges more effectively. In the new modality, the meeting would be held in a symposium format and be focused on a common theme. The Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and Singapore would serve as co-chairs and several clusters from both countries would lead discussions on a broad strategic theme. The modality aims at encouraging more interactions and linkages among agencies in pursuing cooperation projects of mutual benefit.
5 The Eighth CSEP Meeting was convened, for the first time, in a symposium format and focussed on a common theme, namely, “Thailand and Singapore: Forging A Closer Civil Service Cooperation for a Stronger ASEAN Community.” This theme reflected a shared goal and aspiration for the region.
6 Substantial progress was made in various areas of cooperation since the Seventh CSEP Meeting. The Meeting reviewed and evaluated the implementation of projects in these areas. The evaluation enabled the meeting to highlight the benefits as well as to identify difficulties from implementing these projects, which were useful in assessing the future conduct of CSEP cooperation. The Meeting noted with satisfaction several projects that supported the common theme and identified future areas of cooperation such as in education, youth exchanges, civil service exchanges, information technology, culture, manpower, and health. Both sides acknowledged the already strong relationship between the civil service of both countries and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation under CSEP.
7 On legal and judicial cooperation since the Seventh CSEP Meeting, cooperation has been on-going between the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Judiciary of Thailand and the Ministry of Law of Singapore. On 15 September 2005, the Chief Justice of Singapore visited Thailand. On 24 -25 January 2006, the Justice of the Supreme Court of Thailand visited the Supreme Court and the Subordinate Courts, the Singapore Academy of Law, the Singapore Mediation Centre and the Singapore International Arbitration Centre. The Meeting welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Office of the Judiciary of Thailand and the Singapore Mediation Centre on 10 November 2006. The MOU resulted in a training programme “Training the Trainers” for Thai judges and judicial service officers organized by the Singapore Mediation Centre. For the 8th CSEP Meeting, both sides will continue the exchanges of these study visits and training programme on the prevention of corruption, the protection of rights and liberties, and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Both sides also agreed to continue to exchange legal information and practices on court management mechanism, and use of technology in court and to include new areas such as drug offences, transnational crimes and forensic science.
8 On education cooperation, the Meeting welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Education Cooperation between Dr. Wichit Srisa-an, then-Minister of Education of Thailand and Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, then-Minister for Education of Singapore on 14 December 2006. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to build and strengthen cooperation under the MOU. Both Ministries of Education (MOE) of Thailand and Singapore agreed to support the continuation of on-going initiatives such as annual student camps, exchange of teachers, scholarships, exchange visits between partner schools and collaboration in info-communication technology training. Both sides agreed to increase the number of partner schools, and to expand collaboration in the development of vocational education and training, the teaching and learning of science and mathematics, and the use of information technology (ICT) as a vital educational tool.
9 On social welfare, youth and sports cooperation, both sides agreed to launch collaborative projects in the areas of standard settings in social services and the integral usage of information technology. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) of Thailand invited the National Youth Council (NYC) of Singapore to Thailand to participate in the Second Thailand-Singapore Youth Worker Exchange Programme. MSDHS and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) of Singapore explored the opportunities for exchanges on capacity building and skills enhancement. Both Ministries agreed to continue sharing experiences and knowledge on child and youth development, youth, as well as, women issues. On sports cooperation, both sides agreed to continue their close collaboration and exchanges of training programmes between administrators, teachers and students of the Singapore Sports School and Thailand’s sports schools.
10 In the area of media, arts and culture, both sides agreed to further their cooperation in the fields of museum, heritage conservation, library and archives and exchange programmes for journalists, information officers and artists. The Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA) of Singapore hosted the 5th Thailand-Singapore Journalists’ Exchange Programme (JEP) on 9-13 June 2008 while the Department of Information of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand will host the 6th JEP in 2009. On the exchange of information officers, MICA will host the 4th Information Officers Exchange Programme in early September 2008.
For arts and culture cooperation, both sides agreed on exchange and study visit programmes in arts and culture education for staffs and students from art institutes, cultural expert exchanges, and study visit of art and cultural management of the ESPLANADE. In addition, the exchange of knowledge, exhibition and study-visit programmes are agreeable in the field of contemporary arts.
Both sides also agreed in principle to discuss in details about a plan of action for the year after which provides information about cooperation programmes as well as a possible timeline. The said plan of action would be submitted for consideration during 9th CSEP meeting in Singapore.
11 In the area of technical cooperation, the Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and the Technical Cooperation Directorate (TCD) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore have fulfilled all the targets set during the 7th CSEP in Singapore. To accelerate the technical cooperation under CSEP, the “mid-term review mechanism” between TICA and TCD has been set up. The 1st Technical Cooperation Meeting (TCM) was hosted by TICA in Bangkok on 27 February 2006 and the 2nd TCM was hosted by TCD in Singapore on 24 September 2007. The TCMs provided a direct platform for both sides to review the previous workplan, discuss forthcoming plans and enhance closer cooperation. From August 2005 to December 2007, a total of 173 officials from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) have attended 13 courses conducted by TICA and TCD. For 2008, both sides agreed to conduct a total of six courses. Four courses have already been conducted and attended by 51 officials from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar (CLM). TICA and TCD agreed to continue with the implementation of the Joint Assistance Package (JAP) for Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar (CLM). A total of three courses will be conducted at the Singapore IAI training centres in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. For future cooperation under the Thailand-Singapore Third-Country Training Programme (TCTP), both sides agreed to adopt the thematic and programming approach in the areas such as environment, to achieve better focus, greater impact and therefore more fruitful outcomes. Under this TCTP, a total of four courses per year will be jointly conducted with two each in Thailand and Singapore. TICA and TCD will discuss further details of the three-year plan during the 3rd TCM to be hosted by TICA at the end of 2008 or early 2009.
12 On land transport, Department of Land Transport (DLT) of Thailand made study visits to Singapore during January — May 2006 on (1) planning and data management of bus services, (2) vehicle registration and inspection as well as taxi regulation and (3) driving and vocational license issuance. Both Ministries of Transport (MOT) of Thailand and Singapore agreed to explore possible areas of cooperation arising from these exchanges. In line with the new modality of the Eighth CSEP, MOT Thailand proposed to rename this cluster from land transport to transport, which would enable both countries to expand their cooperation to include other aspects of transport cooperation such as maritime transport. MOT Singapore took note of this proposal. As Members of IMO Council, both supported the strengthening of cooperation and exchange of experiences on the implementation of International Maritime Organization instruments as well as to explore the possibility for joint undertaking of IMO activities to promote maritime safety and security as well as maritime environment protection.
13 Under health cooperation, the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) of Thailand and the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Singapore will continue their active exchanges of information and experts on dentistry, ophthalmology, occupational medicine, rehabilitation medicine and geriatric medicine. Both sides agreed to embark on cooperation in new areas, namely drug abuse, palliative and chronic cares, tobacco control, obesity prevention especially learning from Thailand’s sweet enough campaign in school setting, HIV/AIDS education and prevention among sex workers, preparedness plan and response to emerging infectious diseases, especially Avian Influenza and SARS, vector control and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever management and development of national public health laboratory, focussing on study visits, exchange of experts, and capacity building of health personnel.
14 On cooperation between Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFA), both sides have benefited from sharing experiences and best practices in the areas of IT and human resource management. Both MFAs shared the view that the exchange of visits between middle and senior officials at the policy level under the Thailand-Singapore Exchange Program (TSEP) was useful in promoting interaction and in exchanging views on issues of mutual interest and would be continued.
15 Both sides also agreed to continue the exchange of visits of newly recruited diplomats and to improve the quality of the programme with an aim to promoting networking and close interactions between junior officials of the the two Ministries. Both Ministries will also explore the secondment of officials to each other.
16 On manpower cooperation, Thailand Ministry of Labour (MOL), Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) agreed to continue the implementation of projects from Seventh CSEP Meeting on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) management system, skills standards development and implementation, and on understanding the Skills Development Fund.
17 On new initiatives, both sides also agreed to introduce a regular exchange of visits of OSH officials from MOM and Thailand Department of Labour Protection and Welfare. Both sides further agreed to a study visit by MOL to Singapore to learn about Singapore’s experiences and efforts in enhancing the employability of older workers.
18 For science and technology cooperation, the Meeting welcomed the signing of the Agreement for Research Collaboration between the National Electronic and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) of Thailand and the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) of Singapore in February 2008. Research collaboration in development of speaker and language recognition engine for Thai language is currently being implemented. Both sides agreed to explore collaboration in metrology.
19 In the area of civil service cooperation, the Civil Service Training Institute (CSTI), Office of Civil Service Commission (OCSC) of Thailand and the Public Service Division (PSD) and Civil Service College (CSC) of Singapore agreed to continue their active exchanges in matters related to civil service trainings. Both sides agreed to explore cooperation in human resource development via staff attachment programs and exchanging of experiences and skills for mentoring and coaching and on performance management and performance appraisal. Both sides will also be working on further areas of exchanges amongst high potential officers in the public sectors of Thailand and Singapore. In addition, the OCSC will visit the Public Service Department (PSD) of Singapore to learn about the Personnel Performance Management/ Appraisal system in Singapore.
20 On information technology cooperation, both sides acknowledged the growing importance of information and communication technology on national development. The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) agreed with the proposal of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology of Thailand (MICT) to rename the cluster from “information technology” to “information and communication technology” to reflect the considerable importance of communication technology. Both countries welcomed further cooperation on e-government and ICT policies and strategies.
21 The Meeting agreed for the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and Singapore as coordinators of CSEP to explore the possibility with authorities to add a new cluster on “environmental cooperation” in the Ninth CSEP.
22 An Annex is attached to provide further details in each area of cooperation.
23 Singapore and Thailand look forward to deepening their strong partnership as they move into another year of exchanges and projects under CSEP. Singapore will host the Ninth Coordinating Meeting of the CSEP in 2009.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Thailand Singapore
Bangkok
30 June 2008
ANNEX COOPERATION PROJECTS UNDER THE EIGHTH CSEP MEETING
Legal and Judicial Field
1. At the Eighth CSEP Meeting, representatives from the Ministry of Justice of Thailand (MOJ), the Office of the Judiciary Thailand (OJ) and the Ministry of Law Singapore (MinLaw) had a fruitful and productive discussion in the field of legal and judicial cooperation. Both sides agreed that cooperation in the CSEP framework contributed to such cooperation within ASEAN, namely at the ASEAN Senior Law Official Meetings (ASLOM) and ASEAN Law Association.
2. As MOJ’s scope of work included various agencies beyond MinLaw, MinLaw has agreed to be the contact point and to invite other relevant agencies of Singapore, such as Ministry of Home Affairs (in the area of law enforcement), Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports (in the area of rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents), and Health Science Authority (HSA) (in the area of forensic science) in their cooperation within CSEP.
3. Both sides agreed to continue their cooperation in areas agreed during the Seventh CSEP Meeting, especially on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and anti-corruption practices. In the area of anti-corruption, MinLaw would coordinate with the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau of Singapore (CPIB) to explore cooperation with Thai officials to promote the exchange of best practices and information in the prevention and combating of corruption. As MOJ had recently established “The Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission”, MinLaw would also assist in arranging a high-level study visit by MOJ to Singapore and training opportunities in Thailand subject to further discussion and manpower availability.
4. On protection of rights and liberties, both sides agreed to exchange visits and share experiences in the area of criminal procedure framework e.g. in areas of legal assistance.
5. Both sides agreed to exchange knowledge and experiences in electronic monitoring for prisoners, organised crime, cybercrime, forensic science, trade law, consumer protection law and law enforcement.
6. Both sides also agreed to study and explore areas of co-operation that may arise from the ASEAN Charter.
Education
7. Cooperation in the field of education between the Ministries of Education (MOE) of Singapore and Thailand continues to make good progress in all areas since the Seventh CSEP Meeting in 2005. The MOU in Education Cooperation, which aimed to formalize cooperation in education and training, was signed on 14 December 2006, by Dr. Wichit Srisa-an then-Minister of Education of Thailand and Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, then-Minister of Education of Singapore, as targeted by the Seventh CSEP Meeting.
8. Both MOEs agreed to continue their on-going projects, which included Annual Student Camps, Exchange of Teachers, Scholarships, Partner Schools and IT Training as well as other collaborations agreed in the Seventh CSEP Meeting, such as Cultural and Uniformed Group Exchanges. Both MOEs agreed to expand the number of partner schools from ten to fifteen pairs.
9. In addition, both MOEs agreed to take on new projects as follows:
- Collaboration between vocational and technical institutes of education
- Teaching and learning of science and mathematics
- Cooperation on the use of information and communication technology (ICT).
10. At the university level, both MOEs were satisfied with the progress made on cooperation in areas of business incubators and university student exchange as agreed during the Seventh CSEP Meeting.
11. In the area of quality assurance, the Commission on Higher Education (CHE) of Thailand and MOE of Singapore agreed to exchange best practices.
Social Welfare and Youth and Sports Cooperation
12. On social welfare, youth and sports cooperation, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) of Thailand and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) of Singapore agreed to launch collaborative projects in the areas of social service standard settings and the integral usage of information technology.
13. The MSDHS invited the National Youth Council (NYC) of Singapore to Thailand to participate in the Second Thailand-Singapore Youth Worker Exchange Programme.
14. Both sides explored opportunity for exchanges on capacity building and skills enhancement. Both Ministries agreed to continue sharing experiences and knowledge on child and youth development, youth issues, as well as, women issues.
15. The SSS also invited Thailand’s sports schools to participate in the 1st Singapore Sports School International Sports Festival which will be held at the SSS during 30 November — 7 December 2008. Thailand will send a combined sports school team to participate in table tennis, soccer and net ball.
16. Thailand’s sports schools will continue to invite the SSS to participate in the Annual Thailand Sports School Games. This year the game will be held in Khon Kaen Sports School from 28 July — 6 August 2008.
17. Thailand’s sports schools and the SSS will work towards establishing an exchange programme for coaches.
18. The SSS will also invite a delegation of staff and students from the Thailand’s sports schools for a 1-week study trip to Singapore Sports School in May/June 2009 where they will train, study and compete alongside Singapore students.
Media, Arts and Culture
19. In the area of media cooperation, both sides noted the value of the Journalists’ Exchange Programme (JEP) and Information Exchange Programme (IO) in broadening the participants’ perspectives and facilitating the sharing of experiences among them. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand expressed its appreciation to the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA) of Singapore for hosting the 5th Journalists Exchange Programme (JEP) during 9-13 June 2008, involving the participation of seven journalists and one official from Thailand’s Foreign Ministry. Both sides welcomed the Information Officials (IO) Exchange Programme, which has been hosted by the two countries alternately since 2004. The 4th IO Exchange Programme is planned to be held in Singapore in early September 2008. The IO Exchange Programme would be expanded to include the participation of officers from Thailand’s Public Relations Department (PRD) and Government Spokesman Bureau.
20. Both sides agreed to capitalise on information technology to set up an interactive portal for the sharing of information, ideas, training courses and events in the areas of media, arts and culture. In the interim, both sides agreed to share international wire reports on each respective country.
21. On arts and culture, both sides agreed to continue its close cooperation and implement projects on archives, library and museum cooperation.
22. Delegations from Thai libraries and educational institutions visited the National Library of Singapore from time to time. The National Library of Thailand and the National Library of Singapore would also continue exchanging printing materials under the National Libraries Groups-Southeast Asia (NLG-SEA).
23. New projects on arts and culture as agreed in the Eighth CSEP Meeting include the following:
- Arts and Culture Education Exchange Programmes :
- the exchange and study visit for staff and students from Bunditpattanasilpa Institute, which is a college of dramatic arts and fine arts, with the Singapore School of the Arts, in areas of art education, art and culture management, exchange of art and cultural performances, and
- Exchange of knowledge for production and development of art and cultural education material, including illustration for stories promoting heritage and identity;
- Cultural Expert Exchange and Study Visit Programmes to exchange knowledge management for cultural learning sources and for cultural performance management; and,
- Study-Visit of Art and Cultural Management of the Esplanade of Singapore to learn about administration and management of arts and cultural performance programme.
- Exchange of Contemporary Arts
- The exchange of exhibition and study-visit of Art Centre
- Curatorial training course for contemporary art professional and/or official
- Reciprocal support for artist and/or art student to experience Singaporean and Thai arts
24. In this regard, the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA) of Singapore would assist the Ministry of Culture (MOC) of Thailand in liaising with concerned agencies of Singapore in implementing the agreed projects.
Technical Cooperation
25. The Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA), MFA, and the Technical Cooperation Directorate (TCD), MFA Singapore, have fulfilled all the targets set during the 7th CSEP in Singapore. Both sides had initiated the TICA-TCD Technical Cooperation Meeting (TCM) as a “mid-term review mechanism”. At the 1st TCM was hosted by TICA in Bangkok on 27 February 2006, both sides were satisfied with the progress and decided to take alternate turns to host one more course starting with Singapore in 2006. Both sides met again during the 2nd TCM hosted by TCD in Singapore on 24 September 2007 to review the three-year plan from 2005-2007 and discuss future plans and details on forthcoming courses. Both sides noted the fulfilment of targets set during the 1st TCM and agreed to organize a total of six training courses in 2008.
26. Since the 7th CSEP Coordinating Meeting on 1 August 2005 to end 2007, 13 courses have been organised and attended by 173 officials from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. The course details are as follows:
(i) A total of six courses on Trade Liberalisation, IT and English Language at the Singapore IAI training centres in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
(ii) Two courses on Public Reform in Singapore
(iii) Two healthcare (one pediatric and one midwifery) attachments in Singapore
(iv) Two courses on Industrial Estate Management in Thailand
(v) One course on Agriculture in Thailand
27. For 2008, both sides agreed to conduct a total of six courses. The following four courses have been conducted and attended by 51 officials from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar:
(i) A total of three courses on Trade Liberalisation, IT and English Language at the Singapore IAI training centres in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
(ii) One healthcare (midwifery) attachment in Singapore
Two more courses will be conducted by the end of 2008:
(i) One course on SMEs Promotion and Industrial Estate Management in Thailand
(ii) One course on Project Management in Thailand
28. TICA and TCD agreed to continue with the implementation of the Joint Assistance Package (JAP) for Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar (CLM). A total of three courses will be conducted at the Singapore IAI training centres in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. For future cooperation under the Thailand-Singapore Third-Country Training Programme (TCTP), both sides agreed to adopt the thematic and programming approach in the areas such as environment, to achieve better focus, greater impact and therefore more fruitful outcomes. Under this TCTP, a total of four courses per year will be jointly conducted with two each in Thailand and Singapore. TICA and TCD will discuss further details of the three-year plan during the 3rd TCM to be hosted by TICA at the end of 2008 or early 2009.
Transport
29. At the 8th CSEP Coordination Meeting, Thailand has proposed to expand the scope of the Land Transport Cluster to include other modes of transportation, and to appropriately rename it as Transport Cluster.
30. DLT and the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) have proposed to develop study visits to Singapore to share and exchange ideas and best practices on the following areas of land transportation:
- Intelligent Transport Systems
- Bus and taxi regulation
- Vehicle registration and licensing
- Environmental sustainability in land transport
- Road safety
31. LTA and National Environment Agency (NEA) agreed in principle to DLT’s and OTP’s proposal for the study visits. Further details of the various visit programmes will be established through on-going correspondences. The parties agreed to explore further ways to broaden bilateral cooperation arising from these exchanges.
32. In addition, for maritime transport sector, as Members of IMO Council, we have realized the necessity of encouraging and assisting IMO Member States, particularly developing and least developed countries, to readily adopt and effectively implement IMO instruments. In this regard, we agree to strengthen the bilateral cooperation and exchange experiences on the implementation of IMO instruments as well as to explore the possibility for joint undertaking of IMO activities with a view to promoting maritime safety and security and marine environment protection.
Health
33. The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) of Thailand and the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Singapore agreed to continue exchange programmes in areas such as dentistry, ophthalmology, occupational medicine, rehabilitation medicine, and geriatric medicine so that health professionals from both sides can further share their experiences and deepen their level of cooperation.
34. It is proposed that under dentistry, the Singapore’s National Dental Centre would host a delegation from Thailand’s Institute of Dentistry for clinical attachments in oral surgery in 2009.
35. In the area of ophthalmology, the Singapore National Eye Centre would consider facilitating a 1-week programme in Eye Research Management, and Ophthalmologic Nursing Management for ophthalmologists, nurses and researchers from Thailand. On occupational medicine, the Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of Health of Singapore would coordinate arrangement for a delegation of medical doctors from Thailand, to make a study visit to Singapore, to understand Occupational Health, Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2009.
36. From discussions held during the 8th CSEP meetings, both Ministries agreed to facilitate study visits and exchanges on drug abuse, rehabilitation medicine, geriatric medicine, palliative and chronic care.
37. In addition to the on-going collaborations, both MOPH and MOH have agreed to embark on new areas of cooperation namely, health education and disease prevention, and communicable disease management, focussing on study visits, exchange of experts, and capacity building of health personnel.
38. In the area of health education and disease prevention, the specific areas of interest are tobacco control, obesity prevention especially Thailand’s sweet enough campaign in school setting, HIV/AIDS education and prevention among sex workers. To better understand how both countries handle these problems, both Ministries will host study visits to share best practices on behavioural surveillance and research studies, educational campaigns, targeted behavioural interventions, and sustainable partnerships between Government and non-governmental organisations.
39. On the management of communicable diseases, both Ministries will share and exchange information on preparedness plan and response to emerging infectious diseases, such as avian flu and SARS; vector control and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever management; and development of national public health laboratory. Both sides also agreed to exchange study visits for infectious diseases experts from both countries to learn from each other’s experiences in handling those infectious diseases.
MFA-to-MFA Cooperation
40. On cooperation between Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFA), both sides have benefited from sharing experiences and best practices in the areas of IT and human resource management. Both sides agreed to continue the exchange of visits of newly recruited diplomats and to improve the quality of the programme with an aim to promoting networking and close interactions between junior officials of the two Ministries. MFA Thailand will lead a delegation of newly recruited diplomats on a study visit to Singapore in 2009. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore will also explore sending a delegation of newly recruited diplomats on a similar visit to Thailand in 2009.
41. Both MFAs also shared the view that the exchange of visits between middle and senior officials at the policy level under the Thailand-Singapore Exchange Program (TSEP) was useful in promoting interaction and in exchanging views on issues of mutual interest. Thailand was pleased to have hosted the 2nd TSEP on 11-13 January 2006. Singapore will host the 3rd TSEP before the ninth CSEP. Both sides agreed to expand the TSEP to include the level of Deputy Director-General and officers. Thailand also welcomed Mr. Peter Ho, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore to Thailand on 17-19 July 2006. At the 8th CSEP, Mr. Peter Ho, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore invited Mr.Virasakdi Futrakul, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to visit Singapore at a mutually convenient time.
42. Both Ministries also agreed to explore the secondment of officials to each other’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to further enhance the understanding and working relations between the two Ministries.
Manpower
43. The Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Thailand Ministry of Labour (MOL) will continue to explore closer collaboration and sharing of experience in the areas of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and Skills Standards Development. This will deepen the understanding of each other’s system and benefit workers in both countries.
44. On Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), both sides agreed to a study visit by a MOM delegation to Thailand to learn more about its OSH enforcement policies and legislations, management of OSH issues and rehabilitation, as well as OSH integration with occupational skills. In addition, MOM and MOL further agreed on a regular exchange of visits of OSH officials from MOM and Thailand Department of Labour Protection and Welfare.
45. On Skills Standards Development, both sides agreed to a study visit by MOL to the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (SWDA), to learn about occupational skills standards development and implementation, and to understand the Skills Development Fund.
46. MOM is happy to share Singapore’s experiences and efforts on enhancing the employability of older workers. Both sides agreed to a study visit by MOL to Singapore to learn more on this issue.
47. MOM agreed to facilitate the request of MOL in arranging for a team of Thai medical doctors to visit Singapore in the latter half of 2008 and 2009 to provide health check-ups for Thai workers in Singapore.
Science and Technology
48. For science and technology cooperation, the Meeting welcomed the signing of the Agreement for Research Collaboration between the National Electronic and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) of Thailand and the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) of Singapore in February 2008. Research collaboration in development of speaker and language recognition engine for Thai language is currently being implemented.
49. At this meeting, both sides agreed on a technical cooperation in metrology involving the comparisons of measurement standards. These comparisons will contribute towards gaining international recognition under the global Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Measurement. This technical collaboration will foster closer ties between the two countries in the area of metrology, which is an important technical infrastructure that impacts trade and quality of life.
Civil Service Cooperation
50. Civil Service Training Institute (CSTI), Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) of Thailand, and the Civil Service College (CSC) of Singapore will cooperate and facilitate the arrangement of two HRD Workshops for OCSC and CSC officers to share knowledge and exchange experiences on Competency and Leadership Development as well as HRD Strategies in Thailand and Singapore so that mutual benefits can be gained by both sides.
51. To continue the attachment programme which the CSTI and the CSC implemented during 2004-2006, both sides will reciprocate staff for a 2-4 week attachment to each organization in order to share and exchange knowledge and experiences in the area of Performance Improvement and/or Organization Development. The CSTI and the CSC will also share experiences on coaching and mentoring.
52. In relation to the above project, the CSTI and the Public Service Division (PSD) will also conduct a joint programme where 15-20 high potential officers and 2 coordinators each from Thailand and Singapore will come together to learn about the systems and issues in both countries, share experiences, and to strengthen their networks.
53. To enhance collaboration and promote networking of Thai and Singaporean young talented and high potential civil servants, the CSTI will host and arrange for Singapore’s Foundation Course (FC) participants to meet with Thailand’s young talents from the public and the private sectors as well as well-known public enterprises during their visit to Thailand. Also, the CSC will facilitate a session for Thailand’s New Wave Leadership Course participants to meet with Singapore’s young high potential officers and members of fast-track service to discuss on regional and global issues on leadership development.
54. In support of Thailand’s New Civil Service Acts 2008, which promotes performance management as a new value and principle, the OCSC will visit the PSD of Singapore to learn about the Personnel Performance Management/ Appraisal system in Singapore.
Information and Communication Technology
55. Both sides acknowledged the growing importance of information and communication technology on national development. The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) agreed with the proposal of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology of Thailand (MICT) to rename the cluster from “information technology” to “information and communication technology” to reflect the considerable importance of communication technology.
56. Both sides welcomed further cooperation on e-government and ICT policies and strategies. On e-government, Thailand and Singapore agreed to exchange information on domestic e-Government frameworks and policies; to share strategies and solutions in order to overcome challenges faced in implementing and rolling out e-Government services; and to enhance cooperation networks between the two countries through relevant study visits and site visits aiming at the expertise and capacity building.
57. To encourage further exchanges of e-Government experiences and knowledge between Thailand and Singapore, IDA will also make available two (2) fellowships in 2008 for senior government officials in Thailand who are involved in e-Government Master-planning and implementation. This will support Thai officials to attend relevant e-Government executive programs at the e-Government Leadership Centre (“eGL”) in Singapore.
58. Both sides agreed to exchange mutual experiences and knowledge on ICT policies and strategies and to share their respective national ICT Master Plans and Frameworks including Thailand’s National ICT Policy Framework 2020 and Singapore’s iN2015 Master Plan.
59. To facilitate greater exchanges in the area of ICT policies and strategies, IDA organised a five-day executive training program on ICTs and telecommunications in July 2007. IDA will continue to organise similar executive programs for senior and middle-level government officials and would like to encourage Thailand’s continued participation in future sessions. The second run of the executive training program will be held on 21-25 July 2008 in Singapore.
Prime Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Division, Department of Information Tel.(02) 643-5170
Fax. (02) 643-5169 E-mail : div0704@mfa.go.th End.
-PM-
1 The Eighth Coordinating Meeting of the Thailand-Singapore Civil Service Exchange Programme (CSEP) was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 29-30 June 2008. H.E. Mr. Noppadon Pattama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and H.E. Mr. George Yeo, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Singapore presided over the opening ceremony.
2 On 29 June 2008, the Meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and Mr. Peter Ho, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore. On 30 June 2008, the Meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Norachit Sinhaseni, Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and Mr. Peter Ho. Senior officials from both countries' civil service participated in the Meeting.
3 Since its inception in 1997, CSEP has played an important role in promoting closer contact and enhancing cooperation between the various agencies of both countries, guided by the overall vision of the Singapore-Thailand Enhanced Partnership (STEP).
4 The Seventh CSEP Meeting in Singapore in August 2005 acknowledged that in recent years, Thailand and Singapore are faced with common challenges arising from the changes in regional landscape. The Meeting, therefore, decided to introduce a new modality for conducting subsequent CSEP Meetings in order to cope with new reality and to meet with common challenges more effectively. In the new modality, the meeting would be held in a symposium format and be focused on a common theme. The Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and Singapore would serve as co-chairs and several clusters from both countries would lead discussions on a broad strategic theme. The modality aims at encouraging more interactions and linkages among agencies in pursuing cooperation projects of mutual benefit.
5 The Eighth CSEP Meeting was convened, for the first time, in a symposium format and focussed on a common theme, namely, “Thailand and Singapore: Forging A Closer Civil Service Cooperation for a Stronger ASEAN Community.” This theme reflected a shared goal and aspiration for the region.
6 Substantial progress was made in various areas of cooperation since the Seventh CSEP Meeting. The Meeting reviewed and evaluated the implementation of projects in these areas. The evaluation enabled the meeting to highlight the benefits as well as to identify difficulties from implementing these projects, which were useful in assessing the future conduct of CSEP cooperation. The Meeting noted with satisfaction several projects that supported the common theme and identified future areas of cooperation such as in education, youth exchanges, civil service exchanges, information technology, culture, manpower, and health. Both sides acknowledged the already strong relationship between the civil service of both countries and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation under CSEP.
7 On legal and judicial cooperation since the Seventh CSEP Meeting, cooperation has been on-going between the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Judiciary of Thailand and the Ministry of Law of Singapore. On 15 September 2005, the Chief Justice of Singapore visited Thailand. On 24 -25 January 2006, the Justice of the Supreme Court of Thailand visited the Supreme Court and the Subordinate Courts, the Singapore Academy of Law, the Singapore Mediation Centre and the Singapore International Arbitration Centre. The Meeting welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Office of the Judiciary of Thailand and the Singapore Mediation Centre on 10 November 2006. The MOU resulted in a training programme “Training the Trainers” for Thai judges and judicial service officers organized by the Singapore Mediation Centre. For the 8th CSEP Meeting, both sides will continue the exchanges of these study visits and training programme on the prevention of corruption, the protection of rights and liberties, and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). Both sides also agreed to continue to exchange legal information and practices on court management mechanism, and use of technology in court and to include new areas such as drug offences, transnational crimes and forensic science.
8 On education cooperation, the Meeting welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Education Cooperation between Dr. Wichit Srisa-an, then-Minister of Education of Thailand and Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, then-Minister for Education of Singapore on 14 December 2006. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to build and strengthen cooperation under the MOU. Both Ministries of Education (MOE) of Thailand and Singapore agreed to support the continuation of on-going initiatives such as annual student camps, exchange of teachers, scholarships, exchange visits between partner schools and collaboration in info-communication technology training. Both sides agreed to increase the number of partner schools, and to expand collaboration in the development of vocational education and training, the teaching and learning of science and mathematics, and the use of information technology (ICT) as a vital educational tool.
9 On social welfare, youth and sports cooperation, both sides agreed to launch collaborative projects in the areas of standard settings in social services and the integral usage of information technology. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) of Thailand invited the National Youth Council (NYC) of Singapore to Thailand to participate in the Second Thailand-Singapore Youth Worker Exchange Programme. MSDHS and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) of Singapore explored the opportunities for exchanges on capacity building and skills enhancement. Both Ministries agreed to continue sharing experiences and knowledge on child and youth development, youth, as well as, women issues. On sports cooperation, both sides agreed to continue their close collaboration and exchanges of training programmes between administrators, teachers and students of the Singapore Sports School and Thailand’s sports schools.
10 In the area of media, arts and culture, both sides agreed to further their cooperation in the fields of museum, heritage conservation, library and archives and exchange programmes for journalists, information officers and artists. The Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA) of Singapore hosted the 5th Thailand-Singapore Journalists’ Exchange Programme (JEP) on 9-13 June 2008 while the Department of Information of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand will host the 6th JEP in 2009. On the exchange of information officers, MICA will host the 4th Information Officers Exchange Programme in early September 2008.
For arts and culture cooperation, both sides agreed on exchange and study visit programmes in arts and culture education for staffs and students from art institutes, cultural expert exchanges, and study visit of art and cultural management of the ESPLANADE. In addition, the exchange of knowledge, exhibition and study-visit programmes are agreeable in the field of contemporary arts.
Both sides also agreed in principle to discuss in details about a plan of action for the year after which provides information about cooperation programmes as well as a possible timeline. The said plan of action would be submitted for consideration during 9th CSEP meeting in Singapore.
11 In the area of technical cooperation, the Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and the Technical Cooperation Directorate (TCD) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore have fulfilled all the targets set during the 7th CSEP in Singapore. To accelerate the technical cooperation under CSEP, the “mid-term review mechanism” between TICA and TCD has been set up. The 1st Technical Cooperation Meeting (TCM) was hosted by TICA in Bangkok on 27 February 2006 and the 2nd TCM was hosted by TCD in Singapore on 24 September 2007. The TCMs provided a direct platform for both sides to review the previous workplan, discuss forthcoming plans and enhance closer cooperation. From August 2005 to December 2007, a total of 173 officials from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) have attended 13 courses conducted by TICA and TCD. For 2008, both sides agreed to conduct a total of six courses. Four courses have already been conducted and attended by 51 officials from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar (CLM). TICA and TCD agreed to continue with the implementation of the Joint Assistance Package (JAP) for Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar (CLM). A total of three courses will be conducted at the Singapore IAI training centres in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. For future cooperation under the Thailand-Singapore Third-Country Training Programme (TCTP), both sides agreed to adopt the thematic and programming approach in the areas such as environment, to achieve better focus, greater impact and therefore more fruitful outcomes. Under this TCTP, a total of four courses per year will be jointly conducted with two each in Thailand and Singapore. TICA and TCD will discuss further details of the three-year plan during the 3rd TCM to be hosted by TICA at the end of 2008 or early 2009.
12 On land transport, Department of Land Transport (DLT) of Thailand made study visits to Singapore during January — May 2006 on (1) planning and data management of bus services, (2) vehicle registration and inspection as well as taxi regulation and (3) driving and vocational license issuance. Both Ministries of Transport (MOT) of Thailand and Singapore agreed to explore possible areas of cooperation arising from these exchanges. In line with the new modality of the Eighth CSEP, MOT Thailand proposed to rename this cluster from land transport to transport, which would enable both countries to expand their cooperation to include other aspects of transport cooperation such as maritime transport. MOT Singapore took note of this proposal. As Members of IMO Council, both supported the strengthening of cooperation and exchange of experiences on the implementation of International Maritime Organization instruments as well as to explore the possibility for joint undertaking of IMO activities to promote maritime safety and security as well as maritime environment protection.
13 Under health cooperation, the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) of Thailand and the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Singapore will continue their active exchanges of information and experts on dentistry, ophthalmology, occupational medicine, rehabilitation medicine and geriatric medicine. Both sides agreed to embark on cooperation in new areas, namely drug abuse, palliative and chronic cares, tobacco control, obesity prevention especially learning from Thailand’s sweet enough campaign in school setting, HIV/AIDS education and prevention among sex workers, preparedness plan and response to emerging infectious diseases, especially Avian Influenza and SARS, vector control and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever management and development of national public health laboratory, focussing on study visits, exchange of experts, and capacity building of health personnel.
14 On cooperation between Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFA), both sides have benefited from sharing experiences and best practices in the areas of IT and human resource management. Both MFAs shared the view that the exchange of visits between middle and senior officials at the policy level under the Thailand-Singapore Exchange Program (TSEP) was useful in promoting interaction and in exchanging views on issues of mutual interest and would be continued.
15 Both sides also agreed to continue the exchange of visits of newly recruited diplomats and to improve the quality of the programme with an aim to promoting networking and close interactions between junior officials of the the two Ministries. Both Ministries will also explore the secondment of officials to each other.
16 On manpower cooperation, Thailand Ministry of Labour (MOL), Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) agreed to continue the implementation of projects from Seventh CSEP Meeting on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) management system, skills standards development and implementation, and on understanding the Skills Development Fund.
17 On new initiatives, both sides also agreed to introduce a regular exchange of visits of OSH officials from MOM and Thailand Department of Labour Protection and Welfare. Both sides further agreed to a study visit by MOL to Singapore to learn about Singapore’s experiences and efforts in enhancing the employability of older workers.
18 For science and technology cooperation, the Meeting welcomed the signing of the Agreement for Research Collaboration between the National Electronic and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) of Thailand and the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) of Singapore in February 2008. Research collaboration in development of speaker and language recognition engine for Thai language is currently being implemented. Both sides agreed to explore collaboration in metrology.
19 In the area of civil service cooperation, the Civil Service Training Institute (CSTI), Office of Civil Service Commission (OCSC) of Thailand and the Public Service Division (PSD) and Civil Service College (CSC) of Singapore agreed to continue their active exchanges in matters related to civil service trainings. Both sides agreed to explore cooperation in human resource development via staff attachment programs and exchanging of experiences and skills for mentoring and coaching and on performance management and performance appraisal. Both sides will also be working on further areas of exchanges amongst high potential officers in the public sectors of Thailand and Singapore. In addition, the OCSC will visit the Public Service Department (PSD) of Singapore to learn about the Personnel Performance Management/ Appraisal system in Singapore.
20 On information technology cooperation, both sides acknowledged the growing importance of information and communication technology on national development. The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) agreed with the proposal of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology of Thailand (MICT) to rename the cluster from “information technology” to “information and communication technology” to reflect the considerable importance of communication technology. Both countries welcomed further cooperation on e-government and ICT policies and strategies.
21 The Meeting agreed for the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and Singapore as coordinators of CSEP to explore the possibility with authorities to add a new cluster on “environmental cooperation” in the Ninth CSEP.
22 An Annex is attached to provide further details in each area of cooperation.
23 Singapore and Thailand look forward to deepening their strong partnership as they move into another year of exchanges and projects under CSEP. Singapore will host the Ninth Coordinating Meeting of the CSEP in 2009.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Thailand Singapore
Bangkok
30 June 2008
ANNEX COOPERATION PROJECTS UNDER THE EIGHTH CSEP MEETING
Legal and Judicial Field
1. At the Eighth CSEP Meeting, representatives from the Ministry of Justice of Thailand (MOJ), the Office of the Judiciary Thailand (OJ) and the Ministry of Law Singapore (MinLaw) had a fruitful and productive discussion in the field of legal and judicial cooperation. Both sides agreed that cooperation in the CSEP framework contributed to such cooperation within ASEAN, namely at the ASEAN Senior Law Official Meetings (ASLOM) and ASEAN Law Association.
2. As MOJ’s scope of work included various agencies beyond MinLaw, MinLaw has agreed to be the contact point and to invite other relevant agencies of Singapore, such as Ministry of Home Affairs (in the area of law enforcement), Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports (in the area of rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents), and Health Science Authority (HSA) (in the area of forensic science) in their cooperation within CSEP.
3. Both sides agreed to continue their cooperation in areas agreed during the Seventh CSEP Meeting, especially on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and anti-corruption practices. In the area of anti-corruption, MinLaw would coordinate with the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau of Singapore (CPIB) to explore cooperation with Thai officials to promote the exchange of best practices and information in the prevention and combating of corruption. As MOJ had recently established “The Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission”, MinLaw would also assist in arranging a high-level study visit by MOJ to Singapore and training opportunities in Thailand subject to further discussion and manpower availability.
4. On protection of rights and liberties, both sides agreed to exchange visits and share experiences in the area of criminal procedure framework e.g. in areas of legal assistance.
5. Both sides agreed to exchange knowledge and experiences in electronic monitoring for prisoners, organised crime, cybercrime, forensic science, trade law, consumer protection law and law enforcement.
6. Both sides also agreed to study and explore areas of co-operation that may arise from the ASEAN Charter.
Education
7. Cooperation in the field of education between the Ministries of Education (MOE) of Singapore and Thailand continues to make good progress in all areas since the Seventh CSEP Meeting in 2005. The MOU in Education Cooperation, which aimed to formalize cooperation in education and training, was signed on 14 December 2006, by Dr. Wichit Srisa-an then-Minister of Education of Thailand and Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, then-Minister of Education of Singapore, as targeted by the Seventh CSEP Meeting.
8. Both MOEs agreed to continue their on-going projects, which included Annual Student Camps, Exchange of Teachers, Scholarships, Partner Schools and IT Training as well as other collaborations agreed in the Seventh CSEP Meeting, such as Cultural and Uniformed Group Exchanges. Both MOEs agreed to expand the number of partner schools from ten to fifteen pairs.
9. In addition, both MOEs agreed to take on new projects as follows:
- Collaboration between vocational and technical institutes of education
- Teaching and learning of science and mathematics
- Cooperation on the use of information and communication technology (ICT).
10. At the university level, both MOEs were satisfied with the progress made on cooperation in areas of business incubators and university student exchange as agreed during the Seventh CSEP Meeting.
11. In the area of quality assurance, the Commission on Higher Education (CHE) of Thailand and MOE of Singapore agreed to exchange best practices.
Social Welfare and Youth and Sports Cooperation
12. On social welfare, youth and sports cooperation, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) of Thailand and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) of Singapore agreed to launch collaborative projects in the areas of social service standard settings and the integral usage of information technology.
13. The MSDHS invited the National Youth Council (NYC) of Singapore to Thailand to participate in the Second Thailand-Singapore Youth Worker Exchange Programme.
14. Both sides explored opportunity for exchanges on capacity building and skills enhancement. Both Ministries agreed to continue sharing experiences and knowledge on child and youth development, youth issues, as well as, women issues.
15. The SSS also invited Thailand’s sports schools to participate in the 1st Singapore Sports School International Sports Festival which will be held at the SSS during 30 November — 7 December 2008. Thailand will send a combined sports school team to participate in table tennis, soccer and net ball.
16. Thailand’s sports schools will continue to invite the SSS to participate in the Annual Thailand Sports School Games. This year the game will be held in Khon Kaen Sports School from 28 July — 6 August 2008.
17. Thailand’s sports schools and the SSS will work towards establishing an exchange programme for coaches.
18. The SSS will also invite a delegation of staff and students from the Thailand’s sports schools for a 1-week study trip to Singapore Sports School in May/June 2009 where they will train, study and compete alongside Singapore students.
Media, Arts and Culture
19. In the area of media cooperation, both sides noted the value of the Journalists’ Exchange Programme (JEP) and Information Exchange Programme (IO) in broadening the participants’ perspectives and facilitating the sharing of experiences among them. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand expressed its appreciation to the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA) of Singapore for hosting the 5th Journalists Exchange Programme (JEP) during 9-13 June 2008, involving the participation of seven journalists and one official from Thailand’s Foreign Ministry. Both sides welcomed the Information Officials (IO) Exchange Programme, which has been hosted by the two countries alternately since 2004. The 4th IO Exchange Programme is planned to be held in Singapore in early September 2008. The IO Exchange Programme would be expanded to include the participation of officers from Thailand’s Public Relations Department (PRD) and Government Spokesman Bureau.
20. Both sides agreed to capitalise on information technology to set up an interactive portal for the sharing of information, ideas, training courses and events in the areas of media, arts and culture. In the interim, both sides agreed to share international wire reports on each respective country.
21. On arts and culture, both sides agreed to continue its close cooperation and implement projects on archives, library and museum cooperation.
22. Delegations from Thai libraries and educational institutions visited the National Library of Singapore from time to time. The National Library of Thailand and the National Library of Singapore would also continue exchanging printing materials under the National Libraries Groups-Southeast Asia (NLG-SEA).
23. New projects on arts and culture as agreed in the Eighth CSEP Meeting include the following:
- Arts and Culture Education Exchange Programmes :
- the exchange and study visit for staff and students from Bunditpattanasilpa Institute, which is a college of dramatic arts and fine arts, with the Singapore School of the Arts, in areas of art education, art and culture management, exchange of art and cultural performances, and
- Exchange of knowledge for production and development of art and cultural education material, including illustration for stories promoting heritage and identity;
- Cultural Expert Exchange and Study Visit Programmes to exchange knowledge management for cultural learning sources and for cultural performance management; and,
- Study-Visit of Art and Cultural Management of the Esplanade of Singapore to learn about administration and management of arts and cultural performance programme.
- Exchange of Contemporary Arts
- The exchange of exhibition and study-visit of Art Centre
- Curatorial training course for contemporary art professional and/or official
- Reciprocal support for artist and/or art student to experience Singaporean and Thai arts
24. In this regard, the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA) of Singapore would assist the Ministry of Culture (MOC) of Thailand in liaising with concerned agencies of Singapore in implementing the agreed projects.
Technical Cooperation
25. The Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA), MFA, and the Technical Cooperation Directorate (TCD), MFA Singapore, have fulfilled all the targets set during the 7th CSEP in Singapore. Both sides had initiated the TICA-TCD Technical Cooperation Meeting (TCM) as a “mid-term review mechanism”. At the 1st TCM was hosted by TICA in Bangkok on 27 February 2006, both sides were satisfied with the progress and decided to take alternate turns to host one more course starting with Singapore in 2006. Both sides met again during the 2nd TCM hosted by TCD in Singapore on 24 September 2007 to review the three-year plan from 2005-2007 and discuss future plans and details on forthcoming courses. Both sides noted the fulfilment of targets set during the 1st TCM and agreed to organize a total of six training courses in 2008.
26. Since the 7th CSEP Coordinating Meeting on 1 August 2005 to end 2007, 13 courses have been organised and attended by 173 officials from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. The course details are as follows:
(i) A total of six courses on Trade Liberalisation, IT and English Language at the Singapore IAI training centres in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
(ii) Two courses on Public Reform in Singapore
(iii) Two healthcare (one pediatric and one midwifery) attachments in Singapore
(iv) Two courses on Industrial Estate Management in Thailand
(v) One course on Agriculture in Thailand
27. For 2008, both sides agreed to conduct a total of six courses. The following four courses have been conducted and attended by 51 officials from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar:
(i) A total of three courses on Trade Liberalisation, IT and English Language at the Singapore IAI training centres in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
(ii) One healthcare (midwifery) attachment in Singapore
Two more courses will be conducted by the end of 2008:
(i) One course on SMEs Promotion and Industrial Estate Management in Thailand
(ii) One course on Project Management in Thailand
28. TICA and TCD agreed to continue with the implementation of the Joint Assistance Package (JAP) for Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar (CLM). A total of three courses will be conducted at the Singapore IAI training centres in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. For future cooperation under the Thailand-Singapore Third-Country Training Programme (TCTP), both sides agreed to adopt the thematic and programming approach in the areas such as environment, to achieve better focus, greater impact and therefore more fruitful outcomes. Under this TCTP, a total of four courses per year will be jointly conducted with two each in Thailand and Singapore. TICA and TCD will discuss further details of the three-year plan during the 3rd TCM to be hosted by TICA at the end of 2008 or early 2009.
Transport
29. At the 8th CSEP Coordination Meeting, Thailand has proposed to expand the scope of the Land Transport Cluster to include other modes of transportation, and to appropriately rename it as Transport Cluster.
30. DLT and the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning (OTP) have proposed to develop study visits to Singapore to share and exchange ideas and best practices on the following areas of land transportation:
- Intelligent Transport Systems
- Bus and taxi regulation
- Vehicle registration and licensing
- Environmental sustainability in land transport
- Road safety
31. LTA and National Environment Agency (NEA) agreed in principle to DLT’s and OTP’s proposal for the study visits. Further details of the various visit programmes will be established through on-going correspondences. The parties agreed to explore further ways to broaden bilateral cooperation arising from these exchanges.
32. In addition, for maritime transport sector, as Members of IMO Council, we have realized the necessity of encouraging and assisting IMO Member States, particularly developing and least developed countries, to readily adopt and effectively implement IMO instruments. In this regard, we agree to strengthen the bilateral cooperation and exchange experiences on the implementation of IMO instruments as well as to explore the possibility for joint undertaking of IMO activities with a view to promoting maritime safety and security and marine environment protection.
Health
33. The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) of Thailand and the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Singapore agreed to continue exchange programmes in areas such as dentistry, ophthalmology, occupational medicine, rehabilitation medicine, and geriatric medicine so that health professionals from both sides can further share their experiences and deepen their level of cooperation.
34. It is proposed that under dentistry, the Singapore’s National Dental Centre would host a delegation from Thailand’s Institute of Dentistry for clinical attachments in oral surgery in 2009.
35. In the area of ophthalmology, the Singapore National Eye Centre would consider facilitating a 1-week programme in Eye Research Management, and Ophthalmologic Nursing Management for ophthalmologists, nurses and researchers from Thailand. On occupational medicine, the Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of Health of Singapore would coordinate arrangement for a delegation of medical doctors from Thailand, to make a study visit to Singapore, to understand Occupational Health, Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2009.
36. From discussions held during the 8th CSEP meetings, both Ministries agreed to facilitate study visits and exchanges on drug abuse, rehabilitation medicine, geriatric medicine, palliative and chronic care.
37. In addition to the on-going collaborations, both MOPH and MOH have agreed to embark on new areas of cooperation namely, health education and disease prevention, and communicable disease management, focussing on study visits, exchange of experts, and capacity building of health personnel.
38. In the area of health education and disease prevention, the specific areas of interest are tobacco control, obesity prevention especially Thailand’s sweet enough campaign in school setting, HIV/AIDS education and prevention among sex workers. To better understand how both countries handle these problems, both Ministries will host study visits to share best practices on behavioural surveillance and research studies, educational campaigns, targeted behavioural interventions, and sustainable partnerships between Government and non-governmental organisations.
39. On the management of communicable diseases, both Ministries will share and exchange information on preparedness plan and response to emerging infectious diseases, such as avian flu and SARS; vector control and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever management; and development of national public health laboratory. Both sides also agreed to exchange study visits for infectious diseases experts from both countries to learn from each other’s experiences in handling those infectious diseases.
MFA-to-MFA Cooperation
40. On cooperation between Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFA), both sides have benefited from sharing experiences and best practices in the areas of IT and human resource management. Both sides agreed to continue the exchange of visits of newly recruited diplomats and to improve the quality of the programme with an aim to promoting networking and close interactions between junior officials of the two Ministries. MFA Thailand will lead a delegation of newly recruited diplomats on a study visit to Singapore in 2009. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore will also explore sending a delegation of newly recruited diplomats on a similar visit to Thailand in 2009.
41. Both MFAs also shared the view that the exchange of visits between middle and senior officials at the policy level under the Thailand-Singapore Exchange Program (TSEP) was useful in promoting interaction and in exchanging views on issues of mutual interest. Thailand was pleased to have hosted the 2nd TSEP on 11-13 January 2006. Singapore will host the 3rd TSEP before the ninth CSEP. Both sides agreed to expand the TSEP to include the level of Deputy Director-General and officers. Thailand also welcomed Mr. Peter Ho, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore to Thailand on 17-19 July 2006. At the 8th CSEP, Mr. Peter Ho, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore invited Mr.Virasakdi Futrakul, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to visit Singapore at a mutually convenient time.
42. Both Ministries also agreed to explore the secondment of officials to each other’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to further enhance the understanding and working relations between the two Ministries.
Manpower
43. The Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Thailand Ministry of Labour (MOL) will continue to explore closer collaboration and sharing of experience in the areas of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and Skills Standards Development. This will deepen the understanding of each other’s system and benefit workers in both countries.
44. On Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), both sides agreed to a study visit by a MOM delegation to Thailand to learn more about its OSH enforcement policies and legislations, management of OSH issues and rehabilitation, as well as OSH integration with occupational skills. In addition, MOM and MOL further agreed on a regular exchange of visits of OSH officials from MOM and Thailand Department of Labour Protection and Welfare.
45. On Skills Standards Development, both sides agreed to a study visit by MOL to the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (SWDA), to learn about occupational skills standards development and implementation, and to understand the Skills Development Fund.
46. MOM is happy to share Singapore’s experiences and efforts on enhancing the employability of older workers. Both sides agreed to a study visit by MOL to Singapore to learn more on this issue.
47. MOM agreed to facilitate the request of MOL in arranging for a team of Thai medical doctors to visit Singapore in the latter half of 2008 and 2009 to provide health check-ups for Thai workers in Singapore.
Science and Technology
48. For science and technology cooperation, the Meeting welcomed the signing of the Agreement for Research Collaboration between the National Electronic and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) of Thailand and the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) of Singapore in February 2008. Research collaboration in development of speaker and language recognition engine for Thai language is currently being implemented.
49. At this meeting, both sides agreed on a technical cooperation in metrology involving the comparisons of measurement standards. These comparisons will contribute towards gaining international recognition under the global Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Measurement. This technical collaboration will foster closer ties between the two countries in the area of metrology, which is an important technical infrastructure that impacts trade and quality of life.
Civil Service Cooperation
50. Civil Service Training Institute (CSTI), Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) of Thailand, and the Civil Service College (CSC) of Singapore will cooperate and facilitate the arrangement of two HRD Workshops for OCSC and CSC officers to share knowledge and exchange experiences on Competency and Leadership Development as well as HRD Strategies in Thailand and Singapore so that mutual benefits can be gained by both sides.
51. To continue the attachment programme which the CSTI and the CSC implemented during 2004-2006, both sides will reciprocate staff for a 2-4 week attachment to each organization in order to share and exchange knowledge and experiences in the area of Performance Improvement and/or Organization Development. The CSTI and the CSC will also share experiences on coaching and mentoring.
52. In relation to the above project, the CSTI and the Public Service Division (PSD) will also conduct a joint programme where 15-20 high potential officers and 2 coordinators each from Thailand and Singapore will come together to learn about the systems and issues in both countries, share experiences, and to strengthen their networks.
53. To enhance collaboration and promote networking of Thai and Singaporean young talented and high potential civil servants, the CSTI will host and arrange for Singapore’s Foundation Course (FC) participants to meet with Thailand’s young talents from the public and the private sectors as well as well-known public enterprises during their visit to Thailand. Also, the CSC will facilitate a session for Thailand’s New Wave Leadership Course participants to meet with Singapore’s young high potential officers and members of fast-track service to discuss on regional and global issues on leadership development.
54. In support of Thailand’s New Civil Service Acts 2008, which promotes performance management as a new value and principle, the OCSC will visit the PSD of Singapore to learn about the Personnel Performance Management/ Appraisal system in Singapore.
Information and Communication Technology
55. Both sides acknowledged the growing importance of information and communication technology on national development. The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) agreed with the proposal of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology of Thailand (MICT) to rename the cluster from “information technology” to “information and communication technology” to reflect the considerable importance of communication technology.
56. Both sides welcomed further cooperation on e-government and ICT policies and strategies. On e-government, Thailand and Singapore agreed to exchange information on domestic e-Government frameworks and policies; to share strategies and solutions in order to overcome challenges faced in implementing and rolling out e-Government services; and to enhance cooperation networks between the two countries through relevant study visits and site visits aiming at the expertise and capacity building.
57. To encourage further exchanges of e-Government experiences and knowledge between Thailand and Singapore, IDA will also make available two (2) fellowships in 2008 for senior government officials in Thailand who are involved in e-Government Master-planning and implementation. This will support Thai officials to attend relevant e-Government executive programs at the e-Government Leadership Centre (“eGL”) in Singapore.
58. Both sides agreed to exchange mutual experiences and knowledge on ICT policies and strategies and to share their respective national ICT Master Plans and Frameworks including Thailand’s National ICT Policy Framework 2020 and Singapore’s iN2015 Master Plan.
59. To facilitate greater exchanges in the area of ICT policies and strategies, IDA organised a five-day executive training program on ICTs and telecommunications in July 2007. IDA will continue to organise similar executive programs for senior and middle-level government officials and would like to encourage Thailand’s continued participation in future sessions. The second run of the executive training program will be held on 21-25 July 2008 in Singapore.
Prime Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Division, Department of Information Tel.(02) 643-5170
Fax. (02) 643-5169 E-mail : div0704@mfa.go.th End.
-PM-