KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians wishing to visit Thailand have been advised to take the necessary precautions when travelling, to avoid crowded areas and wear masks at all places.
"For fully vaccinated Malaysians who are considering travel to the kingdom, please adhere to all standard operating procedures and regulations set by the Thai authorities including the requirement for real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test and medical insurance, as there are still Covid-19 cases in Thailand," Malaysian ambassador to Thailand Datuk Jojie Samuel told the New Straits Times.
Thailand is set to welcome fully vaccinated foreign visitors, including returning Thais and foreign residents, from an approved list of 40-over countries including Malaysia to enter the country by air with no quarantine requirements from Nov 1.
"As Thailand is re-opening its country to foreign tourists, we are expecting many Malaysians to travel to Thailand, especially since Malaysians are now allowed to travel abroad," said Samuel.
"The Malaysian Embassy," he said, "is not working with the Thai authorities to lure more Malaysians arrivals into Thailand, as this is not our responsibility.
"However, the embassy has had several discussions with the Thai authorities to ease the travel of Malaysians arriving into Thailand, in terms of not requiring the hotel quarantine, to abolishing the documentation process such as the certificate of entry issued by the Royal Thai Embassy, and ensuring faster immigration clearance at airports upon arrival."
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Thailand used to welcome some four million Malaysian tourists each year, making them the second largest group of travellers into the kingdom, after tourists from China.
Samuel said to date, about 1,200 Malaysians residing in Thailand had registered with the embassy.
"There are about 8,000 to 10,000 Malaysians residing in Bangkok," he added.
Meanwhile, Samuel also said that the embassy was proposing that Malaysian authorities relax entry requirements for Thai tourists arrivals into Malaysia.
"For now Thai tourists and foreign tourists are not allowed into Malaysia.
"The Malaysian authorities should reciprocate Thailand's lifting of travel restrictions. Thai tourists can similarly undergo the RT-PCR test and be required to have travel insurance."
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Malaysian Ambassador to Thailand Datuk Jojie Samuel
