BANGKOK: Singapore stocks pared losses to rise on Monday as active buying in midcaps such as Genting Singapore outweighed concerns about a proposed reform of market rules, while Thai shares retreated as protests by rice farmers added to the political uncertainty. Singapore's main index ended up 0.1 percent at 3,017.20, bouncing off the day's low of 3,003.48. Genting Singapore rose 1.8 percent and was the top percentage gainer, buoyed by a brokerage upgrade and its plan to develop a $2.2 billion casino resort in South Korea. Shares of bourse operator Singapore Exchange fell 1 percent, the biggest percentage loser on the benchmark, as the proposed market reforms, released late on Friday, worried investors of a possible fall in trading volumes. The Thai SET index closed 0.5 percent lower from a two-week closing high of 1,296.49 in the previous session, amid political problems and technical-led selling around 1,300 level, brokers said. More than 1,000 farmers protested outside the Thai government's temporary headquarters on Monday over the state's failure to pay for rice bought under a subsidy scheme that the caretaker administration admits it is struggling to fund. Indonesian shares ended 0.4 percent lower, dragged down by late selling as investors trimmed risk positions ahead of Bank Indonesia's interest rate review later in the week. Jakarta rallied last week, helped by a set of favourable economic data. Malaysia rose 0.4 percent as local institutions led buyers, while the Philippines was up 0.5 percent, with foreign investors buying a net 43.6 million peso ($969,000), stock exchange data showed. Vietnam's benchmark VN Index climbed 1.12 percent as investors picked up blue chips that fell over the past few sessions. SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS Change on day Market Current Prev Close Pct Move TR SE Asia Index* 381.75 381.62 +0.03 Singapore 3017.20 3013.14 +0.13 Kuala Lumpur 1816.14 1808.59 +0.42 Bangkok 1290.66 1296.49 -0.45 Jakarta 4450.75 4466.67 -0.36 Manila 6042.25 6011.14 +0.52 Ho Chi Minh 555.90 549.76 +1.12 Change on year Market Current End 2013 Pct Move TR SE Asia Index* 381.75 388.37 -1.70 Singapore 3017.20 3167.43 -4.74 Kuala Lumpur 1816.14 1866.96 -2.72 Bangkok 1290.66 1298.71 -0.62 Jakarta 4450.78 4274.18 +4.13 Manila 6042.25 5889.83 +2.59 Ho Chi Minh 555.90 504.63 +10.16 * The Thomson Reuters South East Asia Index is a highly representative indicator of stocks listed in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Stock Market Volume (shares) Market Current Volume Average Volume 30 days Singapore 198,728,300 184,142,673 Kuala Lumpur 118,516,100 119,982,023 Bangkok 4,227,391 4,723,190 Jakarta 3,690,606,500 2,796,345,300 Manila 76,107 70,204 Ho Chi Minh 110,187 90,400- Reuters

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Southeast Asia Stocks: Thai falls, M'sia and S'pore up