[quote name='anniehou' date='Dec 14 2007, 01:16 PM' post='123297']
Friday, 14th December 2007
The Nation (Thailand)
Wed, December 12, 2007
Thailand and Cambodia will sign a single visa agreement on Monday enabling visitors from outside to use only one visa for two countries, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram would sign the agreement with this Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong when he makes his official visit to Phnom Penh on Monday.
The pact was a pilot project under the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS).
Set up since 2003, ACMECS is a joint development scheme made of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.
Under the initiative of "Four countries, One Destination", the ACMECS Single Visa pact aimed to facilitate tourism in the region.
Foreign ministers of four countries agreed in Siem Riep in August 2005 to allow Thailand and Cambodia to implement the scheme first and the remaining members might join later if it is successful.
Visitors from outside could apply entry visa at embassies of either Thailand or Cambodia for two nations, said the ministry's spokesman Tharit Charungvat.
The arrangement would benefit for tourism of the two countries and visits apply only one visa to both Thailand and Cambodia which have many different attractive sites, he said.
However, the pact would not come into force until the Interior Ministry and concern agencies issued related regulations to enforce, Tharit said but did not say when such related regulations would be finished.
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That is great news!
ReplyDeleteIt will become the pilot for the ASEAN Visa as well. For ASEAN to achieve its goals, it must start taking "small" steps instead of taking "giant" steps.
There are 10 countries in ASEAN, 10 Visas (policies, etc.) to unite in the near future, that will take a long time and will be a pain for all (and we're not yet considering 'implementation').
If those 10 will be divided into sub-groups, for example ACMECS, then instead of integrating 10 Visas, we will only have to integrate 7 Visas.
6 Visas + the ACMECS Visa. It will be easier that way.
I pray that the initial phase of ACMECS will be a huge success, so the ASEAN think-tanks who always think of "big" stuff will see that "small" stuff are more effective for our region.
Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesisa (SINGBRUMAPHILINDO) could unite their Visas as well. Bringing it down to 3 Visas to unite = ACMECS Visa + SINGBRUMAPHILINDO Visa + Myanmar Visa.
Which will be far easier than 10 independent Visas.
Well, that's the theory.
Yeah John, we are moving forward and continue moving forward now. This is one milestone for ASEAN community. I am eager to hear more progress from them.
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