Cover photo: The Royal Thai Government

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has met with his Malaysian counterpart Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Sadao immigration in Songkhla Province to discuss and promote cooperation in border development between Thailand and Malaysia.

On 27 November, Srettha posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) before heading to Songkhla Province, stating that he intended to follow up on previous discussions with the Malaysian PM. He believed that his visit would undoubtedly strengthen the Thai-Malaysia relationship.

The Thai Foreign Ministry stated that the meeting is a follow-up to Srettha’s official visit to Malaysia between 11-12 October 2023, with the aim of pushing concrete cooperation in border development between the two countries, particularly in trade, tourism, and the facilitation of cross-border transport.

The Thai PM and his Malaysian counterpart will also discuss ways to expedite the connectivity projects, which would help improve the well-being of the people. These projects include road construction to connect the new Customs Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex in Sadao with Bukit Kayu Hitam, as well as the second bridge at Su-ngai Kolok – Rantau Panjang.

On this occasion, both leaders will inspect the road construction project linking the new CIQ complex in Sadao and the Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration Office in Malaysia. The Thai PM will also visit the Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration Office upon the invitation of his Malaysian counterpart.

Since the Thai PM’s visit to Malaysia in October, the Thai government has promoted Thai-Malaysia tourism by suspending the T.M. 6 immigration form for foreign tourists entering Thailand at the Sadao checkpoint from 1 November 2023 – 30 April 2024 to facilitate the entry of Malaysian tourists to Thailand.