Cooperation in the border areas between Thailand and Malaysia will be
highlighted at the Twelfth Joint Commission Meeting and the Third
Ministerial Meeting of Joint Development Strategy for Border Areas.
The two meetings, to be held on 14-15 December 2012 at the
JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa in Phuket province, will be co-chaired
by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul
and Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato' Sri Anifah Haji Aman.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Joint Commission for
Bilateral Cooperation was set up in 1987 as a major bilateral mechanism
to promote comprehensive cooperation between Thailand and Malaysia.
Thailand established its first joint commission with Malaysia, and since
then it has become a model for Thailand in establishing joint
commission mechanisms with other countries. At present, the Joint
Commission between Thailand and Malaysia focuses on promoting
cooperation in the border areas, trade and investment, energy, tourism,
care for Thai workers in Malaysia, the halal industry, education, and
human resources development, as well as Confidence Building Measures in
the Southern Border Provinces of Thailand.
As for the Joint Development Strategy, it was established in 2004 to
promote the people’s well-being, as well as economic and human resource
development, in the five southern border provinces of Thailand, namely
Songkhla, Satun, Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat, and four northern states
of Malaysia – Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, and Perak (in Pengkalan Hulu
only). The promotion of economic development would contribute to the
enhancement of security in the border areas and the Thai government’s
efforts to resolve the southern situation.
The Twelfth Joint Commission Meeting will place special emphasis on dual
citizenship cooperation, promotion of trade and investment, rubber
cooperation, and the convening of the Second Joint Trade Committee
Meeting in March 2013 in Chiang Mai province.
The Third Ministerial Meeting of Joint Development Strategy for Border
Areas will focus on physical, institutional, and people-to-people
connectivity along the border areas between Thailand and Malaysia. On
the issue of physical connectivity, both sides will consider expediting
the proposed construction of the two bridges across Golok River, linking
Narathiwat province and the state of Kelantan. They will also discuss
the integration of development plans and special economic zones of
customs, immigration, and quarantine between the Sadao border area in
Songkhla province and Bukit Kayu Hitam in Malaysia.
Both meetings will be a venue to strengthen bilateral cooperation
between Thailand and Malaysia, which will enable them to meet changes
and challenges in the region and the southern border provinces of
Thailand, to support national development strategies of both sides, and
to enhance connectivity in the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth
Triangle (IMT-GT) and ASEAN as a whole.
The outcome of the two meetings will also help prepare groundwork for
the Fifth Annual Consultation between the Prime Ministers of Thailand
and Malaysia, which is scheduled for 2013 in Malaysia.
Ref: http://thailand.prd.go.th/view_news.php?id=6560&a=3
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