KUALA LUMPUR: Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is expected to visit Malaysia on July 9 and 10 for talks with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, with border security and economic cooperation likely to dominate discussions
The visit comes after Malaysia suspended imports of Thai shrimp on June 1, a move that has affected bilateral trade and raised concerns among shrimp producers, Thai PBS World reported.
Malaysia's Agriculture and Food Security Ministry announced a temporary suspension of imports of five Thai shrimp species as part of tighter controls on fisheries products from Thailand.
The affected species are Penaeus esculentus (brown tiger prawn), Fenneropenaeus merguiensis (banana prawn), Penaeus vannamei (whiteleg shrimp), Penaeus monodon (giant tiger prawn) and Penaeus stylirostris (blue shrimp), Bernama reported last month.
The high-level talks are aimed at resolving the dispute, with preliminary negotiations reported to have made positive progress.
Both sides are working towards finalising a new agreement next week that could allow the immediate resumption of Thai shrimp exports.
Thai Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said technical teams from both countries are addressing Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) inspection requirements.
He said the goal is to implement a new import-export framework within 30 days, supported by laboratory testing to ensure food safety standards and restore consumer confidence.
The visit is also taking place amid recent security concerns in southern Thailand, where two Malaysians were injured when an improvised explosive device concealed inside a roadside culvert exploded near the Sapom intersection in Tak Bai district on Monday.
The blast occurred against the backdrop of a long-running insurgency in southern Thailand, where thousands of people have been killed in violence that has plagued the border region for more than 20 years.
Thai authorities said the Malaysians were not the intended targets of the attack, which is believed to have been carried out by suspected insurgents. - NST
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