Thailand joins Asean anti-graft effort
DPA / September 12, 2007

Four more Southeast Asian countries have signed an anti-graft pact aimed at preventing and combating corruption in the region, representatives said on Wednesday.

Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam became the latest members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to ink the agreement.

Representatives of their anti-corruption agencies signed the pact on Tuesday. Their counterparts from Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore signed in 2004. Only Laos and Burma have yet to sign the document.

Forty delegates from Asean countries discussed ways of stamping out the scourge of corruption during a two-day meeting ending on Wednesday.

Peter Ho, Singapore's head of the civil service, said that having more members on board opened up additional opportunities for exchanges and cooperation to fight corruption.