Walking in the rain:
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak escorting his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra from the podium in Dataran Putra as heavy rain fell during her visit to Putrajaya. Both leaders had a one-and-a-half hour meeting later.
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has told Thailand it is willing to assist Bangkok in finding long-term solutions for peace in its troubled southern provinces, which have seen violence and thousands of deaths in recent years.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who met with his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra here, said Bangkok should focus on creating greater participation for the southern Thai people in matters such as the economy, education and religion.
He said Yingluck had requested Malaysia’s cooperation in helping Thailand find a durable peaceful solution for the south.
“We both agreed that this is a domestic matter for Thailand and that the people in the south must not seek a separate state.
“They must reject violence and extremism, be loyal Thai citizens and be loyal to the King of Thailand,” Najib said in a joint press conference with Yingluck at Perdana Putra after a one-and-ahalf-hour meeting yesterday.
An insurgency erupted in 2004 in Thailand’s three southern-most provinces bordering Malaysia, killing an estimated 5,000 people.
Yingluck, who is on her first official trip to Malaysia since assuming the premiership in August last year, voiced her support for Najib’s call for a global movement of moderates.
“Thailand firmly believes that moderation is the key to peace and development.
“This will not only promote economic possibilities for the people along the border and surrounding areas but also enhance regional connectivity,” she said.
In a joint statement, the two prime ministers also agreed to enhance economic cooperation in seven major industries – halal trade, automotive, rubber, food security, energy, tourism and oil and gas.
Thailand was Malaysia’s second largest Asean trading partner with trading value worth Us$22.95bil (Rm69.38bil)
Najib said about 400 Malaysian firms had invested in Thailand.
“There is a discussion going on to look at the new cross-border agreements between our countries.
“We also touched on the problems of dual citizenship between our two countries and we agreed that we should compare our database so we can resolve this problem,” he said.