More time needed to study Asean visa, says Saifuddin | Daily Express Malaysia

Need more time to study Asean visa, says Saifuddin

Interior Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Thailand wants to take advantage of existing cooperation among the six ASEAN countries to boost tourism and the economy. (Bernama photo)

BANGKOK: Malaysia needs more time to consider Thailand’s proposal on a joint visa program with six other ASEAN countries to attract more foreign tourists to the region. Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the proposal was still in the early stages of discussion and Malaysia needed to obtain more information on it.

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He said Thailand wanted to take advantage of existing cooperation among the six ASEAN countries to boost tourism and the economy. “But Malaysia always seeks a balance between economic potential and maintaining national security,” he said recently. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has previously proposed a ‘Schengen’ initiative or joint visa initiative with Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Last year, these six countries saw the arrival of 70 million foreign tourists. On another issue, Saifuddin said Malaysia is making several recommendations to China to extend the tourist visa for Malaysians from the current 15 days to 30 days.

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He said the proposal would first be submitted to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for approval. Since December 1, Malaysia has introduced a 30-day visa waiver for Chinese citizens, while the Chinese government has granted a 15-day visa waiver for travelers from Malaysia.

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