The India-Asean free trade agreement (FTA) will be signed or not at the end of this year is a question due to the ongoing political crisis in Thailand, reports Economic Times.

Thailand`s political troubles, which have now been going on for around two years, has deepened in the last couple of months.

The India-Asean summit is to be held in Bangkok in December and the agreement is expected to be signed there.

As speculation continues on whether the venue will be changed, Indian concerns are also centered around Thailand`s ability to complete the internal formalities for signing the agreement in the backdrop of the ongoing crisis.

For Thailand, domestic approval, which is a requirement for each signatory, means the support of the parliament which has been disrupted.

Fears of a military coup have also been growing with the country`s Army chief blaming the prime minister for a violent crackdown on protesters. The conflict is now expected to deepen with the sentencing of Thaksin, who is living in exile in Britain, to two years in prison on corruption charges.

Even though negotiations between India and the Asean are said to have concluded, there are still last minute hitches.