Visa-free travel expected within Southeast Asia by end-2005

[silver_corolla]

Posted 02:41pm (Mla time) Jan 26, 2005
Agence France-Presse

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Southeast Asian nationals will no longer need to obtain visas when traveling to 10 countries in the region by the end of this year, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in remarks published Wednesday.
Leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed an agreement in 2002 to allow easier travel in a bid to revive confidence after the bomb attack in Bali that year.

The following year, an ASEAN meeting in Hanoi urged member states to work towards visa exemptions for travel within the region.

"This will be fully effective by the end of the year," Abdullah was quoted as saying by the Star.

"Of course, we cannot downplay the security requirements of the respective member states," he said in a speech read on his behalf by Tourism Minister Leo Michael Toyad at an ASEAN tourism conference on Malaysia's Langkawi island.

"However, in the spirit of ASEAN, I believe we can work together to create means by which we can address these concerns and at the same time ensure visa-free intra-regional travel," he said.

Many ASEAN countries have bilateral agreements on visa exemption for their respective nationals, but the organization does not have a multilateral visa agreement.

ASEAN members are: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

[gretzy]

hmmmm di ba matagal ng visa-free entry tayo sa mga countries na yun?

[mazdamazda]

i've been to singapre, thailand & vietnam and there was no visa requirement (at least for a week-long vacation).

[hagiber]

Basta less than 30 days visit, there is no visa requirement.. Baka this announcement covers visits exceeding 30 days.. ?

[IceColdBeer]

Just came from Malaysia and Singapore and there was no visa requirement.

[kuroy]

sa japan sana ala ding visa requirements...hehehe

[kuroy]

konichiwa. arigato gozaimasu...

hajimimaste. kuroy desu. dozoo yorishku. hahahaha

hai!

[1D4LV]

alam ko, basta countries within the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations), wala talagang visa kung a month's stay lang....

[van_wilder]

koreans, japanese, and chinese guys can enter the philippine freely diba? bakit kaya tayo kailangan pa ng visa pagpupunta sa kanila?

[1D4LV]

van_wilder, pati mga kano. tapos kahirap kumiha ng visa papunta kanila.
sa china, ok lang, di naman ganung kahirap. sa japan, ang hirap din.

[stinkaboy]

there are asean countries that dont require VISA already :D

[theveed]

it's 7-14 days not 30 days for most countries.

[mantoy]

visa-free naman talaga basta short visit lang sa ASEAN countries ah.

[kuroy]

tnt daw ksi tayong mga noypi

[FrankDrebin]

Hehehe. Years ago may 3 months job contract ako dati sa Thailand. Twice a month kami kung mag-lunch sa Cambodia. Pa-renew lang. :D Sayang nga lang hindi na naulit yun.

[O!lman]

I was in singapore last week with my family... Immigration stamped our passport that we can stay up to 3 months upon arrival...depende siguro sa pagmumukha ng tao...kung mukha kang TNT, baka 2 weeks lang bigay sa iyo w/c is supposed to be the maximum.

[pissword]

yeap dapat visa free tayo sa japan, at china noh.. at US

[totoybato]

koreans, japanese, and chinese guys can enter the philippine freely diba? bakit kaya tayo kailangan pa ng visa pagpupunta sa kanila?

mas madalas kasi na nag ooverstay ang mga pinoy pag dun sa mga countries na nabanggit, as against nationals of those countries na mag overstay diyan sa pinas

[ryan]

koreans, japanese, and chinese guys can enter the philippine freely diba? bakit kaya tayo kailangan pa ng visa pagpupunta sa kanila?

I think the main reason is because sobra daming pinoy nag t-TNT especially sa Japan. According to my friend in the Japanese embassy, 2nd ang Pinas sa mga illegals in Japan after the mainland Chinese.

Kakaasar talga ang mga visa requirements na yun kaso ganun talga buhay. *sigh*

[totoybato]

Pansinin lang ninyo dun sa mga madalas mag biyahe sa mga taga tsikot, Japan and Korea very seldom gives multiple entry visas to pinoys. Pero wala pang tatalo sa dami ng mga TNT na mga chinese, sa japan o sa korea man.