KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to include all categories of travellers for the land Vaccinated Travel Lane which kicked off today between the two neighbouring Asean bloc countries.
Both nations have also agreed to expand the Land-VTL scheme to include additional bus services routes through train services operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) as well as to gradually include personal vehicles such as motorcycles and cars.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said travellers would be subjected to the necessary health requirements determined by both countries.
"We acknowledge that the reopening of borders is important to reactivate cross-border social and economic activities that will benefit the people of both countries.
"We hope that by doing this, it would provide the opportunity for more people on both sides of the Causeway who have been away from their families due to the Covid-19 pandemic, to be reunited with their loved ones – which we know the people of both Malaysia and Singapore have long awaited for," he said.
The prime minister said this in a statement following a joint press conference with his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, today.
Ismail Sabri is in Singapore for his maiden official visit to the republic. Earlier, he and Lee witnessed the launch of the Land-VTL at the Woodlands Checkpoint.
"PM Lee and I also discussed the cross-border movement by air between Singapore and destinations like Penang, Langkawi, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia.
"Both of us decided that our officials should start drawing up measures for this purpose," said Ismail Sabri.
He described the launch of the Land-VTL, which was also simultaneously launched with the Air-VTL, as another significant milestone between Malaysia and Singapore.
"This morning I crossed Tambak Johor (Causeway) and was received by PM Lee at the Woodlands Checkpoint.
"This in itself is very significant. It symbolises the reopening of our borders through the launching of land Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL). Simultaneously, we also launched the Air-VTL.
"This is part of the gradual reopening of our borders to facilitate travels between the two countries, he said.
He described the deep relations between Malaysia and Singapore as immensely important to both sides.
Ismail Sabri added that more active multilevel engagements, as well as much stronger cooperation, is certainly the way forward for the two countries.
"This is also crucial for our contact of cooperation in undertaking effective and meaningful recovery efforts so that our countries will come stronger following the devastating impact of the pandemic," he said.
Ismail Sabri added that both leaders agreed on the need to resume the work of existing bilateral mechanisms.
This, he said, includes the Annual Leaders' Retreat, which has not been convened in the past two years due to the pandemic.
"InsyaAllah, we will have our Leaders' Retreat in the first quarter of next year and I look forward to coming back to Singapore," he said.
Both leaders, he said, also agreed that the other mechanisms at the ministerial and official levels should resume their work as soon as possible.
He said this is important to ensure that both nations' multifaceted cooperation and outstanding issues are kept on the right track with a positive momentum forward.
"Subsequently, PM Lee and I will discuss the progress in these bilateral mechanisms at our Leaders' Retreat," he said.
Both leaders, said Ismail Sabri, had also discussed the situation in Myanmar.
"We agreed that it is crucial for Asean to continue playing a positive and constructive role in facilitating a durable and peaceful solution in the interest of Myanmar and the larger interest of the Asean Community.
"We share the same view that it is crucial for Myanmar to cooperate in the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, and the necessity to preserve the credibility and integrity of Asean.
"We look forward to the return to democracy in Myanmar and the participation of Myanmar at the highest level at future Summits," he said.