PMs pledge to spur Thai-Malaysian border development

Among the issues discussed during the shared border explore was the construction of a bridge connecting Narathiwat and Kelantan.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin meets with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the immigration checkpoint in Sungai Kolok district of Narathiwat on Saturday. (Photo: Thai Government)
At the emigration station in the Narathiwat district’s Sungai Kolok area on Saturday, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim meet. ( Photo: Thai Government )

Srettha Thavisin, the prime minister, and Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister, met yesterday during a joint borders visit and discussed ways to improve participation in border trade and commerce.

Fortschritte made in a diplomatic project to construct a new viaduct over the Golok River, which serves as a natural border between Kelantan state in Malaysia and Narathiwat territory in Thailand, were one of the topics discussed.

The gate will connect Kelantan’s Rantau Panjang and Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat.

The next gate proposal was initially approved by the Thai government in December 2009, but it sat on the back burner for a while. To better solve traffic flows, it will be constructed opposite to the existing gate with a street area roughly twice as large.

Thailand is to make 160 million baht in building expenses for the new two-lane gate, designed to extend 116 feet. Both parties have approved the last design, which was handled by the Indonesian side.

The second Golok River gate is in Beketa community in Narathiwat’s Waeng area.

At the emigration station in Sungai Kolok on Saturday, Mr. Srettha welcomed the Malay delegation led by Prime Minister Anwar.

They eventually met with one another in the Pasir Mas region along the river and received briefings about the improvement of the bridge project.

Eventually, Mr. Srettha afterwards stated on X that the discussions centered on the need for border-area economic development to be expanded.

He claimed that additional discussions needed to be had about supporting Rubber City, a output partnership between Songkhla state and Kedah state, which hopes to increase export production capacity.

However, manufacturers of kosher items sold in Thailand, like as Pasir Mas Halal Park in Kelantan, is capitalise on robust demand in Thailand.

The two officials also agreed to push ahead with the” Six Countries, One Place” tourism plan involving Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, Mr Srettha said.