Malaysia, Thailand make peace over seafood dispute after Anwar and Anutin meet
The two leaders also agreed to develop a special border economic zone and boost agricultural cooperation
In May, Thailand restricted the import of Malaysian-caught sea bass due to concerns over chemical residues, prompting Kuala Lumpur to temporarily ban some varieties of Thai shrimp over food safety controls last month.
Anutin is on a two-day visit to Malaysia that is aimed at boosting economic cooperation and smoothing over long-standing border issues between the Southeast Asian neighbours.
The leaders agreed to proceed with developing a special border economic zone, and to facilitate exchanges in immigration customs between the two countries, Anwar said.
They also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on agricultural cooperation. On Friday, Anutin and Anwar will travel to the northern Malaysian state of Kedah to jointly open a new border crossing linked to Thailand’s customs and immigration complex in Sadao, Songkhla province.
Their visit comes amid renewed security concerns following a recent spike in violence tied to the decades-old separatist insurgency in Thailand’s predominantly Malay-Muslim southern border provinces.