ANWAR'S SECOND THAILAND VISIT: BOOSTING CROSS-BORDER TIES, REGIONAL STABILITY

By Kenny Teng

BANGKOK, April 16 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will undertake a working visit to Thailand on Thursday, during which he is expected to meet his counterpart, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing cross-border cooperation.

Chargé d’affaires ad interim of the Malaysian Embassy in Thailand, Bong Yik Jui said the Prime Minister is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Paetongtarn at the Government House on Thursday.

"Following the bilateral meeting, both Prime Ministers are scheduled to witness the signing of a construction agreement on flood mitigation and dredging works involving Sungai Golok,” he told Malaysian media on Wednesday.

The two leaders are also expected to follow up on the outcomes of the 7th Malaysia-Thailand Annual Consultation (AC), held on Dec 16 last year in Putrajaya.

Anwar is expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon at the Royal Thai Air Force Military Air Terminal 2 near Don Mueang on a special flight to begin his two-day working visit. 

This will mark his second visit to Thailand since assuming office in 2022, following his inaugural visit in 2023, during which he met then-Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha

Bong said the Prime Minister will be accompanied by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz; Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi; Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin; and ASEAN’s Special Envoy to Myanmar Tan Sri Othman Hashim.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Sungai Golok project, meanwhile, will be signed by Nanta and Thai Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit.

During the visit, Anwar is also scheduled to meet Myanmar’s Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to advocate for an extension of the ceasefire between Myanmar’s military government and resistance groups, in support of ongoing earthquake relief efforts.

However, the time and venue for the meeting have yet to be confirmed.

Bong said Anwar is expected to hold discussions with Thailand’s captains of industry and business leaders during a session at a hotel in Bangkok.

In the evening, Anwar is scheduled to have a private meeting with former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, during which the Myanmar peace process and US tariffs are expected to be among the key topics discussed.

Following that, both leaders are expected to attend a dinner hosted by the Informal Advisory Council, which includes representatives from Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to return home on April 18.

In 2024, Thailand was Malaysia’s seventh-largest trading partner globally and third-largest within ASEAN, with total trade amounting to USD25.03 billion (RM114.56 billion).

Between January and February this year, bilateral trade stood at USD3.96 billion (RM17.65 billion), up from USD3.67 billion (RM16.80 billion) during the same period in 2024.

-- BERNAMA