MALDIVES, June 3 – Thailand and the Maldives have agreed to elevate bilateral trade and investment and urgently solve human trafficking problems which have affected the two countries’ tourism.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday after a two-day visit to the island nation that the trade agreement signed by Thai and Maldives commerce ministers will possibly boost Thailand’s exports of agricultural produce and halal and other processed foods to the country.
She said Thai investors are keen on investing in infrastructure development, construction, and the service industry, especially spas, hotels, restaurants and cooking schools.
Last year’s trade between Thailand and the Maldives was US$109 million while more than 100,000 Maldivians visited Thailand, a 30 per cent increase year-on-year, said the prime minister.
Ms Yingluck said Thailand proposed a three-year country programme (2014-2016) for cooperation on agriculture, public health and human resource development.
More than 700 Thais, mostly skilled labour, worked in the service and property industries and infrastructure development in the Maldives.
The Thai leader expressed concern about human trafficking given reports that a group of Thai women had been forced into human slavery in the island country.
Maldivian president Mohamed Waheed called on Thailand to join together in cracking down on pirates in the Indian Ocean.
