Thailand Prepares for the Development of Dawei Deep-Sea Port and Industrial Estate in Myanmar

(22/05/2012)

The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board has been instructed to work out a master plan linking Thailand with the Dawei deep-sea port and industrial estate in Myanmar. The instruction was given by the Cabinet, during its meeting on 20 May 2012 in Kanchanaburi, following a meeting of the Regional Joint Public/Private Sector Consultative Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong said that the Government attached great importance to the development of the Dawei deep-sea port and industrial estate, as it would help support Thailand’s plan to become a logistics hub in this region, with Kanchanburi province as the core. The first phase of the development project, from 2011 to 2015, includes the construction of the deep-sea port and a four-lane road connecting Dawei with the Thai-Myanmar border, as well as the upgrading of a border checkpoint. In the second phase, to be implemented from 2013 to 2018, road construction will be carried out in the Dawei industrial estate and other facilitates will be built, such as a railway and oil pipelines linking the industrial estate with the Thai-Myanmar border. The Thai government will accelerate its negotiations with the Myanmar government, so that the Thai private sector and Myanmar will work together for the development. In this regard, the Government told all provinces along the linking routes to prepare themselves for the development. The Ministry of Transport was assigned to draw up a master plan on transportation networks to accommodate the development of the Dawei deep-sea port and the opening of Ban Phu Nam Ron border checkpoint to facilitate cross-border trade. In order to prepare for the development of the Dawei deep-sea port and the Southern Economic Corridor, the Government will support the establishment of a special economic zone at Ban Phu Nam Ron in Kanchanburi and upgrade the temporary Ban Phu Nam Ron border checkpointinto a permanent border checkpoint. The Government will facilitate Thai-Myanmar cross-border trade by upgrading the Three Pagodas Pass in Kanchanburi and Singkhon checkpoint in Prachuap Khiri Khan into permanent border checkpoints. Two temporary border checkpoints will also be opened in Suan Phung, Ratchaburi province, which shares a border area with Myanmar. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Interior were told to work with the Royal Thai Police to facilitate the movements of people and goods across the Thai-Myanmar border. Management and checking systems will be improved, while the documentation and service processes will be carried out in accordance with the national “single window” system.