BANGKOK: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail wound up her two-day official visit to Thailand Friday, satisfied that the visit had achieved the objective of strengthening longstanding bilateral relations.
“We highlighted the policies introduced by the new government in intensifying bilateral cooperation with our Southeast Asian neighbours, especially Thailand,” she told Malaysian journalists before returning to Kuala Lumpur on Friday evening.
She said Malaysia stated its commitment to Thailand to continue the process of discussion in various issues of mutual interest for the benefit and well-being of the two countries.
Malaysia would ensure that the momentum of its relations with Thailand remained at a high level, said Dr Wan Azizah, who had made the maiden visit following the victory of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Malaysia’s general election last May.
On the first day of her visit Thursday, Dr Wan Azizah paid a courtesy call on Thailand Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha and held talks with her counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand in charge of Social Development and Human Security Issues, Gen Chatchai Sarikulya.
On the second day Friday, she conducted the virtual launch of a water treatment plant established on a joint venture between Ranhill Holdings Berhad (Malaysia) and Amata Water Company Limited (Thailand).
The project, dubbed the ‘7 MLD Reclamation Water Treatment Plant, is located in the Amata City Industrial Estate in the Rayong province of Thailand. (MLD stands for million litres per day).
Dr Wan Azizah said the joint venture between the private sector companies of Malaysia and Thailand proved that Malaysia had high-level capacity and expertise in the water treatment process that could be offered to other countries in the region.
She also held discussions with the chairman and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) which represents three private organisations that focused on the trade, industry and banking sectors in Thailand, namely the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC), Federation of Thai Industries and Thai Bankers’ Association.
At the meeting, she said, she had stated the Malaysian government’s desire to promote economic cooperation between the two countries, particularly in trade and investment along the common border.
“Our total trade with Thailand at the common border alone exceeds 60% of the Malaysia-Thailand bilateral trade. We also discussed the investment opportunities in Malaysia and invited them to increase their investment in our country.
“I also stated our support for the efforts of the two countries to facilitate trade through the establishment of seamless connectivity in the Malaysia-Thailand border areas,” she said.
Dr Wan Azizah also visited the Marketing Organisation for Thailand Farmers, also known as Or Tor Kor, ranked by CNN Travel as the fourth best fresh market in the world in 2017 after the La Boqueria market in Barcelona; Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo and Union Square Farmers’ Market in New York.
At Or Tor Kor, Dr Wan Azizah and her delegation, including Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Salahuddin Ayub, Deputy Foreign Minister Senator Datuk Marzuki Yahya and Malaysian Ambassador to Thailand Datuk Jojie Samuel, were given a briefing on the management of the market and taken on a site tour to see the distribution and trading of agricultural products.
The deputy prime minister said Malaysia could learn a lot from Thailand and share efforts to step up its own agricultural product industry.
During her visit to Thailand, Dr Wan Azizah also met the Malaysian diaspora in Bangkok.
At the meeting, she conveyed the government’s appreciation for their support for the policies introduced by the new government and informed them of the aspiration of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to make Malaysia a corruption-free country. — Bernama
