Despite the fact that the Chairman’s Statement of the recently wrapped
21st ASEAN Summit welcomed progress on regional “connectivity”, a long-awaited
joint visa for Thailand and Cambodia remains stalled.
Koy Kuong, spokesman at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday that there is still no progress on a
plan to implement the Ayeyarwady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation
Strategy single visa.
“It is not true,” said Kuong when
asked whether the agreement had been inked yesterday – the day Thai media
previously reported to be the signing date.
A single visa scheme for
Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar has been in the works since 2004,
though Cambodia and Thailand are the first two countries expected to pilot the
arrangement in the hopes of boosting tourism.
“We attached great importance to
the expeditious achievement of enhanced connectivity through improved
infrastructure development (physical connectivity), effective institutional
arrangement (institutional connectivity) and empowered people (people to people
connectivity),” reads the Chairman’s Statement.
Tourism Minister Thong Khon said
yesterday that while Cambodia and Thailand have not yet finalised the
additional operational arrangements, Cambodia is ready to move toward.
“I don’t know about the date set
for implementing a single visa, but for Cambodia, we are ready and still
waiting for Thailand,” said Khon.
In an article published by the
Bangkok Post in early November, police Lieutenant General Panu Kerdlappol,
Thailand’s immigration bureau chief, confirmed the plan would be implemented by
November 21.
A single visa for travel between
Thailand and Cambodia was part of an agreement signed in 2007.
Khon said the single visa between
the two nations will help to boost the tourism sector, which is one of the main
revenue generators for Cambodia.
Only citizens of countries
outside the ASEAN region would be eligible for the visa scheme.
In the first nine months this
year, Cambodia received 2.57 million tourists and is expected to reach 3.4
million tourists by January, according to Khon.
Vietnam sent the most tourists,
followed by South Korea, China, US,
Japan, Thailand, Laos and the UK, Khon added.
Vong Sokheng
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