Optimism reigns on the 60th anniversary of Thai-Malaysian diplomatic relations. Yet some contentious issues, in particular Thai-Malay dual citizenship and a planned border wall in Songkhla, remain a challenge for the two immediate neighbours.
Both countries which share a historical, ethnic and cultural heritage, are currently celebrating what amounts to a cordial friendship in many ways. Yet, over the last 50 years, relations have also undergone colder periods, such as in the 1970s when both countries accused each other of harbouring secessionist groups.
Damrong Kraikruan, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, as chairman of a symposium on "reflections on the past, visions on the future", which was recently held as part of a commemorative programme, stressed the two countries' history of overcoming challenges together. In particular, he referred to maritime border disputes (in the Gulf of Thailand in the 1970s), cooperation in combatting violent insurgencies on both sides of the border, and the pursuit of economic and political integration, both bilaterally and regionally.
