27-11-2023 (BANGKOK) Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim met on Monday at the customs office of the new Sadao border checkpoint in Songkhla province. The leaders reached an agreement to facilitate bilateral border trade and tourism through the expanded checkpoint.
Recognizing the limitations of the old Sadao checkpoint, which cannot be expanded due to its small size, both sides emphasized the need to expedite road access to the new checkpoint on the Thai side of the border. On the Malaysian side, a road connection will be established between the new Sadao checkpoint and the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint in Kedah state.
In addition to enhancing trade and travel, joint task forces will be established to coordinate efforts relating to border trade, tourism, agriculture, and security matters.
Prime Minister Srettha urged Malaysia to host a Joint Trade Commission meeting, bringing together commerce ministers from both countries to address bilateral trade obstacles. He also called for the prompt development of a memorandum of understanding on cross-border goods transport to facilitate seamless operations at the new Sadao checkpoint.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Srettha requested Mr. Anwar’s support for cooperation between Thai and Malaysian chambers of commerce near the border. This collaboration aims to foster trade, tourism, and overall development in the border areas.
The Thai delegation raised concerns about the lack of adequate public transport access for Thai visitors on the Malaysian side of the border. Prime Minister Srettha also sought Malaysia’s support for the establishment of a Halal department in Thailand.
Regarding security, both leaders agreed to coordinate efforts to combat wildlife trafficking along the shared border.
Another notable agreement was the commitment to accelerate the construction of the second Sungai Kolok bridge, connecting the Sungai Kolok district of Narathiwat in Thailand with the Malaysian town of Rantau Panjang.
Following the meeting, Prime Minister Srettha expressed his intention to boost border trade with Malaysia, with a target of reaching a bilateral trade value of US$30 million annually by 2025. He expressed hope that Thai and Malaysian road access to the new Sadao border checkpoint would be completed by 2025.
