‘Too early’ to see end of recession

"We welcome the first signs that the global economy is beginning to improve and that the worst of the crisis may be behind us,'' the so-called BRIC group said in a joint statement ahead of a full meeting of G20 finance ministers.

"Despite these positive signs, it is too early to declare the end of the crisis. The global economy still faces great uncertainty, and significant risks remain to economic and financial stability.''

The ministers also urged counterparts from the Group of 20 largest and fastest-emerging economies to seize the chance to change the world's economic architecture to get rid of systemic weaknesses, which helped trigger the global crisis.

The two-day gathering starting Friday will prepare the ground for a meeting of G20 leaders in Pittsburgh in the US on September 24-25.

As the recession eases, the leading economies are expected to consider withdrawing the massive state packages of financial support pumped into the economy over the past year to try to unfreeze credit markets.

But Brazil's finance minister Guido Mantega told journalists it was too early to talk of "exit strategies''.

"The economy this year is much better after one year of anti-cyclical policies, but despite their efficiency it is not the moment to talk of withdrawing them,'' he said.

"The exit should be gradual,'' he added, because clawing the fiscal stimulus back too quickly "would not send a good signal to the markets.''

Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin welcomed a discussion about withdrawing the fiscal stimulus packages, but also urged caution.

"We should be talking about an exit strategy but we should not be using one yet,'' he said.

The BRIC ministers also agreed that the world should tighten regulation and reform international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to give emerging countries a stronger voice.

"We realize that permanent, sustainable reforms must still be implemented on multiple fronts,'' the grouping said.

"We cannot miss the opportunity to change international practices, rules and governance structures to make the global economy more resilient for future crises.''

The statement added: "We also believe that there is great need for a stable and predictable international monetary system.''

The Brazilian finance minister said US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner joined the BRIC ministers at the end of their meeting and reiterated his support for their call for better representation at the IMF.

Police nab five crime suspects via SMS tips

Crime Suppression Police Division officers have nabbed five suspected criminals through a campaign which uses SMS technology to identify alleged lawbreakers.

Chana Songkram police arrested three suspected thieves; Bang Mot police arrested a suspected rapist while Bukkhalo police arrested a man for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The suspected thieves were identified as Wirasak Diet, Komsan Eltham, both 19, and Chuchat Saeng Sukhilak, 38. Mr. Wirasak was arrested in Nonthaburi and Mr. Komsan and Mr. Chuchat in Phra Nakhon district.

Suspected rapist Akhawat Chaiyasan, 19, was caught in Chom Thong district and the alleged corrupter of minors Jetsada Boonphang was arrested in Thon Buri district.