Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the proposal is still in the early stages of discussion and Malaysia needs to obtain more information.

He said Thailand wanted to take advantage of the existing cooperation among the six Asean countries to boost tourism and the economy.

“But Malaysia is always seeking a balance between economic potential and maintaining national security,” he said.

Thai prime minister Srettha Thavisin previously proposed a “Schengen” or joint visa initiative with Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Last year, these six countries saw the arrival of 70 million foreign tourists.

On another matter, Saifuddin said Malaysia is making several recommendations to China to extend the tourist visa for Malaysians to 30 days from the current 15 days.

He said the proposal will be submitted to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for approval first.

Since Dec 1, Malaysia has implemented a 30-day visa exemption for Chinese citizens, while the Chinese government has granted a 15-day visa exemption for travellers from Malaysia.