Thai-Lao discussing three-country road link under single visa

DA NANG: -- Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kasit Piromya and his Laotian counterpart Thongloun Sisoulith on Thursday held bilateral talks on using Route 9 which links the Mekong subregion nations, particularly the possibility of the Thai-Lao-Vietnam road link under a single visa.

The meeting of the two foreign ministers was on sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Da Nang, Viet Nam, being held on January 13-14, during which the concept of ASEAN Connectivity was one of the main topics discussed.

A Thai News Agency reporter in Danang said the Lao Foreign Minister expressed his gratitude to Thailand for returning ethnic Hmong back to Laos and pledged his country would facilitate and improve the condition of living for the repatriated Hmong.

The ministers of the two neighbouring countries also discussed over the possibility of the single-visa bus tour connecting the three countries along the Route 9 to promote tourism industry and utilise the roadway.

The journey will start from from Thailand’s northeastern Mukdahan province, entering Savannakhet Province of Laos and ending the trip in Vietnam’s Danang.

Mr Kasit and Mr Thongloun also discussed the cooperation between Thailand and Laos on fishery industry which will help boost the trade of the landlocked Laos.

The Thai foreign minister together with his ASEAN counterparts, the ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan on Tuesday travelled along the Route 9 to ascertain the preparedness of the route before attending the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Da Nang.

The East–West Economic Corridor (EWEC) or Route 9 under the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) links the South China Sea in the Pacific Ocean to the Andaman Sea in the Indian Ocean.

The 1,600-km route connects Mawlamyine (Myanmar)-Mae-Sot-Phitsanulok-Khon Kaen-Kalasin-Mukdahan (Thailand)-Savannakhet (Lao)-Lao Bao-Hue-Dong Ha-Da Nang (Vietnam).

The construction of the route is aimed at reducing the cost of trans-boundary trade and transportation, promoting tourism, trade and investment across the borders, as well as reducing the sub-regional economic and social gap.

-- TNA 2010-01-14

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All of which begs the question, whatever happened to that "done deal" multi-country visa of which Thailand was to be a part that was announced several years ago...?

ASEAN citizens can visit other ASEAN countries without a visa - short trip.

To visit Vietnam ASEAN citizens can spend three weeks in-country without visa. Same with most other ASEAN countries.

What I want to know is what has happened to the Hmong who were repatriated. Anyone got any news, or were they all 'disappeared' when they arrived in Lao?

And this whole scheme is valueless without Burma's active cooperation. Are all the ASEAN nations happily dealing with this gang of blood-spattered bully-boys? And just paying lip-service to ASSK and her NDL?

Hypocrites - the lot of them - with snouts deep in the trough of road construction (will be at least 2m dollars per kilometre) and taxes on trade goods transportation after that.