Pier, road to connect Laos and Thailand

In ceremonies Friday Thailand's Transport Ministry handed over a pier and a road, constructed by Thailand to Laos to facilitate transportation between the two countries.

Thai Transport Minister Admiral Thira Haocharoen and Lao PDR Deputy Minister for Transportation, Post and Construction Sommad Ponsena together presided at the ceremony to hand over the Banwentai pier and Route No.13 to Laos.

The project, agreed by the two countries, saw Thailand's Marine Department building the pier while the Department of Highways built the road.

The two projects cost about Bt63 million overall. The pier was finished in 2005 and the road construction was completed last year. The pier and the road link Thailand's Nakhon Phanom province and Laos' Kammuan province.

Meanwhile, Thailand and Laos have mutually agreed to upgrade the two countries common border checkpoints from temporary to a permanent basis, as well as to promote social and economic cooperation between the two countries.

During the seventh Thai-Lao provincial governors conference co-chaired by Interior Minister Aree Wong-araya and his Laotian counterpart Thongban Sengaphone in Phetchaburi, both parties agreed to turn a temporary border checkpoint at Baan Muang Jedton in Uttaradit and another at Baan Huak in Phayao into permanent border checkpoints, and upgrade the Khok Phai checkpoint in Loei to an international border checkpoint.

Cross border trade and daily shuttlings of Thai and Lao nationals are expected to become more bustling through the upgraded checkpoints.

As part of their bilateral security cooperation, Thailand and Laos agreed to conduct joint patrols on the Mekong River and to jointly combat cross border drug traffickers. In addition, both sides will see to it that sand dredgers will not cause the banks of Mekong and Huang rivers to cave in.

The Thai-Lao provincial governors meeting also agreed in principle to push for construction of a third Thai-Lao border bridge in Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai.
(TNA)

tigerryan wrote: I hired a truck and took highway nine to the Vietnam Border it was a long drive but the roads were great and almost no traffic. Its a great country with lots of potential and really a lot of people with big hearts. I look forward to a longer trip.