Previously, we shared Thailand’s proposal about allowing tourists to travel freely between 5 Southeast Asian nations, namely Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia with reciprocal free-visa entries.
To put it more simply, this allows for a Schengen Area-esque arrangement that allows foreign tourists to travel freely between the 5 nations after obtaining an entry visa for any one of the countries, rather than having to apply for visas for each.
“6 Countries, 1 Destination” initiative
Since then, the proposal has been expanded to include Myanmar and named “6 Countries, 1 Destination”, essentially proposing free travel between all mainland Southeast Asian nations.
Just yesterday, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin met with his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Melbourne, Australia to discuss pressing matters between our two nations, including this proposed 6 Countries, 1 Destination initiative.
Taking to his official Facebook page, Anwar revealed that he met with the Thai Prime Minister during the 2024 ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne which celebrates the 50th year of Australia becoming ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner.
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Anwar added that the two discussed the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Authority’s (MTJDA) progress as well as Malaysia’s commitment to be the facilitator for the ongoing conflict in Thailand’s southern provinces.
Furthermore, as reported by the Thai-based publication The Nation, the Thai government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke revealed that the two leaders also discussed tourism cooperation under the 6 Countries, 1 Destination initiative to promote mutual tourism among Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.
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Both countries agree to ensure seamless travel at all Malaysia-Thai borders
Besides that, Srettha and Anwar also agreed that both countries will work together to ensure seamless travel between Malaysia and Thailand via all borders.
Sticking to tourism, they both also exchanged views about the rising cost of airfares and flight schedules as both could affect the travel plans of tourists coming to both countries.
Source: FMT
Malaysia to invest in Thailand’s food industries
It was also revealed that Anwar expressed Malaysia’s interest in investing in Thailand’s food industry. Furthermore, he also urged Thailand to consider rolling out measures that would support the export of Thai rubber products in our country.
Srettha then invited Anwar to join him in attending the ITB Berlin 2024 in Germany, the world’s largest tourism trade fair and IMPIM 2024, the global conference on infrastructure and real estate in Cannes, France.
IMPIM 2024 is significant, whereby Thailand is planning to propose the Land Bridge project that would bypass the Malacca Strait via Southern Thailand.
So, what do you guys think about the meeting between the two Prime Ministers? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
