IN A move that will boost bilateral ties, Singapore and Thailand on Thursday agreed to resume a civil service exchange programme that was suspended last year.

Foreign Minister George Yeo announced this at a press briefing after a bilateral meeting with his Thai counterpart Noppadon Pattama.

'Foreign Minister Noppadon told me that he'd like to reconvene Csep, the civil service exchange programme as early as possible. I heartily agreed,' said Mr Yeo.

Mr Noppadon, on his part, said that he would let Mr Yeo know within '48 hours' a date for the programme, which Thailand will host.

Csep, which brings together senior civil servants annually to discuss bilateral issues, was launched in Singapore in 1998 to enhance cooperation between the two countries.

It is one of four pillars under the Singapore-Thailand Enhanced Partnership programme, the others being economic cooperation, social and cultural interaction and defence relations.

The Thai military government cancelled the programme in anger last year after Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar met ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra here.

Bilateral relations had taken a dip after the Thai military coup in 2006.

However, in recent months, the relationship between the two sides 'has substantively gone back to normal and we are looking at how we can raise it to an even higher level', said Mr Yeo.

'The restoration of Csep is an important signal that we are sending,' he added.

He noted too that the two sides should push for even stronger relations in trade and investments when Singapore hosts the Singapore-Thailand enhanced economic relationship (Steer) meeting this year.

Mr Noppadon's visit here is his first since he became foreign minister earlier this month. Thailand's post-coup election in December was won by the pro-Thaksin People's Power Party.

During his meeting with Mr Yeo, Mr Noppadon also revealed that the Thai Cabinet had agreed to participate in the joint patrol of the Straits of Malacca together with the littoral states of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

Also on regional issues, Mr Noppadon noted that at the next Asean summit to be held from Dec 15 to18 in Thailand, the ceremony to celebrate the coming into force of the Asean Charter will be held at the very table where the regional grouping was signed into being in 1967.

Thailand takes over the chair of Asean from Singapore in July.

Mr Noppadon also called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday.

Mr Noppadon's official visit, which took place after the Asean Foreign Ministers' retreat at Sentosa, ended on Thursday.