Burma and Thailand have joined eight other Southeast Asian nations in signing a regional treaty to strengthen cooperation against cross-border crimes.
They signed the treaty Tuesday in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. The agreement allows members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to cooperate in investigating transnational crimes, including terrorism and human and drug trafficking.
The eight other members --- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia --- signed the treaty in November 2004.
Burma and Thailand were unable to sign the pact at the time because they had not enacted government laws required by ASEAN to qualify as a member of the treaty.
Information for this report is provided by AP and AFP.
