Hong Kong is in advanced talks with Thailand over an extradition treaty - a move that could close a long-standing law enforcement loophole.
The treaty under discussion is broad in scope and does not relate to a specific case, but could be used to extradite ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra - a frequent visitor to Hong Kong who is now on the run from a two-year jail sentence.
News of the negotiations comes after Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva threatened to seek China's help in the extradition of Thaksin after he announced plans to speak to the Foreign Correspondents' Club last month. Thaksin aborted the speech, saying he did not want to jeopardise Sino-Thai relations.
He is now planning to speak to a club lunch this Thursday from outside Hong Kong via satellite.
China signed an extradition treaty with Thailand in 1993, but no such deal exists between Thailand and Hong Kong, which, under the Basic Law, handles its own extradition matters.
Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat confirmed talks were under way but said it was unclear when they would be completed.
'We continue to discuss a treaty with Hong Kong ... these things typically are very complicated and can take years,' he said. 'We have already been talking about this for some time.'