PM urges Malaysians to invest in deep South
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has asked Malaysia to invest in the deep South, saying the area's common cultural identity is an advantage to potential investors.
"This is a great opportunity for Malaysia to invest in southern Thailand, because some foreigners would hesitate to invest there," Surayud said."But, for Malaysia, it is an area in which you have common ethnicity and a common religion," Surayud said in an interview with Malaysia's state-run news agency Bernama, published yesterday. Violence in the region has claimed more than 2,000 lives in the past three years. This past week suspected militants set fire to a Malaysian-Thai rubber factory in Yala, causing about Bt400 million in damage. Surayud told Bernama the government was trying its best to restore peace. "But you have the advantage as I mentioned - you have the advantage of ethnic and religious similarities with the locals, and they don't discriminate against Malaysian investors," he added. More than 80 per cent of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat residents are of Malay ethnicity. Many work legally and illegally in Malaysia, where they earn higher wages. Tens of thousands are said to carry dual citizenship. On new projects in the Thailand-Malaysia Joint Development Area, Surayud said that for one an industrial zone would be established along the common border. "Malaysia is going to set up an area for industrial activity, which is close to Thailand," he said.
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