KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Thailand are committed to accelerate development in southern Thailand and the northern Malaysian peninsula, ensuring economic growth and prosperity for both regions.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the joint commitment was established in his recent meeting with his counterpart Srettha Thavisin in Phuket, Thailand, last night.
"A special joint committee at the highest level between the two countries will report on the progress of the projects and agreed-upon matters by the middle of next month," Anwar said in his Facebook post today.
Anwar revealed that their conversation also touched on several important matters, including issues related to Malaysia-Thailand tourism.
"Prime Minister Srettha expressed Thailand's willingness to jointly promote tourism in Phuket, Langkawi, and other northern areas of the Peninsula jointly, considering the sudden increase in Malaysian tourists to Thailand," he said.
Furthermore, Anwar said both parties agreed to expedite the Sadao-Bukit Kayu Hitam Road Project and the Golok River-Rantau Panjang Bridge Project.
Last month, Anwar also met with Srettha to inspect the progress of the Road Project connecting the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security (ICQS) Center in Bukit Kayu Hitam, Malaysia, and the Sadao CIQ, Thailand.
ICQS Bukit Kayu Hitam and CIQ Sadao are crucial border points between the two countries and serve as significant entry and exit points for two-way trade and tourism between Malaysia and Thailand.
Last year, the bilateral trade volume through ICQS Bukit Kayu Hitam and CIQ Sadao reached RM33.67 billion.
A total of 212,691 Thai tourists entered Malaysia through this border between January and June this year.