Help sought from Burma for scheme

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

February 15, 1998


                                    



                        THAI - BURMESE RELATIONS

              Help sought from
              Burma for scheme

              Plans to turn landlocked Kanchanaburi into a goldmine of
              Thailand's upper west would hardly succeed if Burma did not
              cooperate.

              A road to link Ban Bongti in Sai Yok district with the port town
              of Tavoy in Burma would bring Thai exports right at a frontgate
              to the world. Shipments, however, would be another story if
              Burma did not lower its "drawbridge."

              A deep seaport in Tavoy has still been on the drawing board, let
              alone Burma's political situation which has been unfavourable to
              foreign investors and ongoing border clashes between Burmese
              troops and minority rebels.

              Budget constraints at home could also prevent the plans from
              being materialised.

              Kanchanaburi Tavoy Development Co Ltd, which recently
              undertook a joint venture with KLN Co of Burma, won a
              30-year concession to build and operate the 110-km
              Bongti-Tavoy Road worth US$40 million from the Burmese
              government.

              Company chairman Pattana Silpakanchanamalai said the road
              would help make the development of the western seaboard
              possible.

              "We must start with giving Kanchanaburi access to the sea,
              although that would be a sea of Burma," Mr Pattana said.

              Goods are usually shipped out via the Straits of Malacca.
              Studies, however, found that a new route from Bangkok to
              Tavoy via Kanchanaburi would help save costs worth thousands
              of billions of baht a year and cut the transportation time by 12
              days.

              The road would also transform Kanchanaburi into a tourism hub
              of the upper western part. It would lead tourists into Burma in
              just a few hours and at the end of the day take them back to
              hotels in Kanchanaburi. The province itself is also rich in tourist
              attractions.

              The Bongti-Tavoy Road, however, would be useless if a border
              pass in Ban Bongti was not opened.

              The Kanchanaburi provincial administration has supported the
              opening of a border checkpoint at Ban Bongti but state agencies
              concerned have been slow to take action out of concern over
              threats to national security.

              The military found a stronghold of a group of Karen rebels in an
              area in Burma south of Ban Bongti. The opening of the border
              checkpoint might also turn to facilitate unlawful businesses such
              as illegal logging.

              Mr Pattana said safety must come first in the road construction.
              He wanted the government to help by negotiating with Burma
              and minority forces to jointly declare a truce.




                                    




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