BANGKOK, April 16 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will undertake a working visit to Thailand tomorrow, during which he expects to meet his counterpart, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, to discuss strengthening bilateral ties and cross-border cooperation.
Chargé d’affaires ad interim of the Malaysian Embassy in Thailand Bong Yik Jui said Anwar will hold bilateral meetings with Paetongtarn at the Government House tomorrow.
“Following the bilateral meeting, both prime ministers are set to witness the signing of a construction agreement on flood mitigation and dredging works involving Sungai Golok,” Bong told Malaysian media today.
The two leaders are expected to follow up on outcomes of the 7th Malaysia-Thailand Annual Consultation on December 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 Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz; Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi; Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin; and Asean Special Envoy to Myanmar Tan Sri Othman Hashim.
The memorandum of understanding on the Sungai Golok project, meanwhile, will be signed by Nanta and Thailand Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit.
During the visit, Anwar is also scheduled to meet Myanmar Prime Minister 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 set to hold a private meeting with former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, during which the Myanmar peace process and United States 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 US$25.03 billion (RM114.56 billion).
Between January and February this year, bilateral trade stood at US$3.96 billion, up from US$3.67 billion during the same period in 2024.
— Bernama
