"Our relationship with Thailand is a strong and durable one and I'm confident that the relationship will remain strong," Singapore's second minister for foreign affairs, Raymond Lim, said in Parliament.

A growing movement to force Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from office swelled after his family announced it had sold its controlling stake in Shin Corp to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings for a tax-free 73.3 billion baht (US$1.9 billion; €1.55 billion).

Critics allege the sale involved insider trading and complain that a key national asset is now in a foreign government's hands. Protesters outside the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok in recent weeks called for boycotts of Singaporean products.

"It is unfortunate that there have been attempts by some groups in Thailand to drag Singapore into that country's internal politics," Lim told lawmakers, adding the Temasek deal was "purely commercial."

Lim said the two Southeast Asian nations enjoyed strong economic ties, with bilateral trade amounting to S$28.2 billion (US$17.4 billion; €14.4 billion) last year, up 16 percent from the previous year.

Lim also expressed hope that snap elections held in Thailand Sunday "will help in the resolution of the current situation in Thailand."

Early results indicated Monday that Thaksin's party won a majority, although voters in Bangkok and southern Thailand cast a strong protest vote likely to inflame the country's political crisis.

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