The official visit of Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to Thailand from February 24 to 26, at the invitation of Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan o-cha, is expected to promote the reopening of the land border between the two countries.

The two sides will discuss the reopening of the land border, bilateral relations, investigation of investment and trade opportunities after COVID-19, mutual recognition of vaccine passports.

Last week, Thai Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Natapanu Nopakun said Thailand had approved the plan to reopen the border with Malaysia next March to attract Malaysian tourists, – Thailand’s largest tourist group before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Control Center and the Tourism Emergency Management Center have been tasked with preparation and mitigation planning to reopen the southern border provinces at the checkpoints of Songkhla, Narathiwat, Yala and Satun, he added. In 2019, Thailand welcomed nearly 40 million visitors, including 4.1 million from Malaysia.

The pandemic has killed more than 22,000 people in Thailand and more than 32,000 people in Malaysia and more than 5 million people infected in both countries