Pm Anwar To Visit Southern Thailand Today

From Rhoma Ahmad Razali

SADAO, Songkhla Province (Thailand), Nov 27 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will undertake a working visit to Thailand today to discuss bilateral cooperation with his counterpart Srettha Thavisin.

The visit, held at the invitation of Srettha, among others, aims to review the progress of the road alignment project connecting the Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) checkpoint in Malaysia and the Sadao Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex in Thailand.

Anwar will be accompanied by several ministers and deputy ministers, including Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin, as well as senior government officials.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive at the new Sadao CIQ building at around 11 am (noon Malaysian time) and is set to have a four-eyed meeting with Srettha.

Both leaders will then visit the meeting point of the road alignment project connecting the Bukit Kayu Hitam ICQS and Sadao CIQ, a project being implemented by Malaysia and Thailand.

The Prime Minister will also attend a lunch hosted by his counterpart at a hotel here before both leaders depart for the Bukit Kayu Hitam ICQS in Kedah, Malaysia to visit the facility.

The Bukit Kayu Hitam ICQS and Sadao CIQ are important border checkpoints for the two countries and serve as primary entry and exit points for bilateral trade and tourism.

Last year, total bilateral trade through the Bukit Kayu Hitam ICQS and Sadao CIQ amounted to RM33.67 billion, while 212,691 Thai tourists entered Malaysia through the border from January to June 2023.

-- BERNAMA