Without any diplomatic pleasantries, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha kicked off bilateral talks last week with his Malaysian counterpart, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, by stating clearly that Thai-Malaysian ties have not been progressing very well. The opening remarks drew a big smile from Mr Anwar as a sign of appreciation. It immediately set the tone of his two-day visit.
At the press conference afterwards, he indirectly referred to his discussion with Gen Prayut, commenting that it was not an ordinary diplomatic session as it was a frank exchange. "I joked with him that for ordinary diplomatic sessions, you leave it to the foreign ministers, but for the most serious, it's a frank exchange. We have done that and I must thank you profoundly that you have allowed this and you have also reciprocated in terms of having the exchanges," he revealed.
