Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have met at the Sadao border checkpoint in Songkhla province to discuss strengthening trade, tourism, and security ties. The meeting was a continuation of discussions from Srettha’s earlier visit to Malaysia.
Accompanied by key ministers, the leaders focused on enhancing border developments to improve the lives of residents in the border areas. They reviewed progress on four joint task forces covering trade, tourism, agriculture, and security, which had been established during their previous meeting.
Key discussions included increasing border and bilateral trade, with Srettha proposing a joint trade commission meeting and an MoU on cross-border goods transport. On tourism, Thailand has eased entry for Malaysian tourists, and Srettha urged a reciprocal MoU for Thai tourists. Anwar pledged to facilitate Thai tourist visits to Malaysia.
In agriculture, the focus was on developing halal foods, in line with Thailand’s plan to set up a Halal Food Department. For border security, both sides plan to sign an MoU in February to combat wildlife and meat smuggling.
The meeting concluded with plans to build a second bridge linking Narathiwat’s Sungai Kolok district to Malaysia and a connecting road from the Sadao border checkpoint to Malaysia’s Bukit checkpoint. After the talks, the prime ministers inspected the road construction site and attended a luncheon hosted by Srettha. (NNT)
