PADANG BESAR: Residents of border states in Malaysia and Thailand can now use their border passes to enter the two countries again.

       Travellers who want to use border passes will need to submit applications through the Thailand Pass web portal 24 hours prior to their departure, said Perlis Border Relations and Cooperation Committee chairman Ruzaini Rais.

       “However, only residents from four states, namely Perlis, Kedah, North Perak and Kelantan are allowed to use border passes.

       “Those who use the pass are also only allowed to enter Thailand for three days,” he said after visiting the Immigration, Customs and Quarantine Complex (ICQ), here yesterday.

       Ruzaini said the relaxation was given after Malaysia and Thailand reached an agreement on spurring the economic recovery of both nations.

       Commenting further, Ruzaini said travellers or tourists from Thailand who use the border passes were also allowed to travel back and forth into the country provided that they had been fully vaccinated.

       He said the same standard operating procedure (SOP) imposed for the reopening of the country’s borders on April 1 also applied to travellers or tourists who used passports to enter Malaysia.

       “They are also required to have travel insurance and undergo a health screening first,” he said.

       Meanwhile, Ruzaini said 82 travellers had been recorded crossing the Malaysia-Thailand border using the Padang Besar ICQ border gate as of 10am yesterday.

       The use of the border pass took effect from yesterday.

       He said the number of travellers is expected to increase within a week.

       On April 1, the Wang Kelian border gate was reopened to citizens of Malaysia and Thailand after being closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. — Bernama