Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges Foster Closer Relations

[george]

Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges foster closer relations

All three Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges have been built to cross the Mekong River linking Thailand's northeastern provinces to the Lao PDR. This infrastructure has helped foster the relations of the peoples of both countries such as creating joint activities and exchanging culture while boosting tourism and improving import and export values on both sides.

The first bridge, presided over in 1994 by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, connects Thailand's Nong Khai province and Tha Na Lang in Laos leading to the capital of Vientiane.

To facilitate documentation processes, passports for border crossing is not essential for Lao and Thais alike.

"The agreement made by Thailand and Laos indicates that passports are not necessary for passengers crossing the bridge. People from both countries can use a border pass document to cross the border to the other country," said Nong Khai immigration deputy superintendent, Pol Lt-Col Pitsanu Pranpanas.

According to official statistics from the Nong Khai customs checkpoint, considerable crossing fees and customs taxes are generated at the border crossing, while trade values in the area are rising substantially annually.

"Before the bridge, Thai-Lao trade values were about Bt3.6 billion annually. About 1995, they jumped to Bt5.3 billion, [continuing to grow until] this year they have risen to around Bt38 billion," Nong Khai customs official Padermdech Mangkang said.

The first friendship bridge is 1,200 metres long. Its middle lane is currently a railroad track which was recently opened for trains.

"Because of the bridge, the people of both countries can come and go to see each other easily. In the past, we had to cross the [Mekong] river by car ferry, and it's a real trouble when the water level was low. We'd have to make a detour and it'd take us hours to get to Laos," said Nong Khai Chamber of Commerce chairman Aranya Sujjanin.

With the bridge, transportation is faster and related expenses lowered.

Over a decade later, the second friendship bridge more than double the length of the first -- 2,701 metres -- was officially opened in 2006 by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn linking Mukdahan province in Thailand to Savannakhet in Laos.

Tourism increased after the second bridge opening. Imports and exports have also risen in this area, according to Mukdahan customs checkpoint officials. In 2006 before the bridge, import and export values there were around Bt8.4 billion, but have this year reached over Bt34 billion.

However, there are problems regarding transportation, especially when Thailand has a driving system different than its neighbouring countries, while Mukdahan governor said he wishes for a special zone to boost economy.

"I want the government to set up a special economic zone to support consumer goods production in Thailand's border areas. We can have raw materials from Laos or Vietnam, produce here and export them back as merchandises to those countries," according to Charnwit Wasayanggoon, Mukdahan governor.

Previous Thai governments had designated Mukdahan as a centre for production, gathering information, production processing and goods distribution. Due to changes of government, however, the project has not progressed.

Unlike the first two friendship bridges, both assisted by foreign aid, the third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge is currently under construction with a budget of over Bt1.7 billion solely paid by Thai taxpayers. It is to link Thailand's Nakhon Phanom and the Lao province of Khammoune and is to be completed in November next year.

When open, the third friendship bridge will connect Thailand's northeast region to the central part of Laos and Vietnam as well as China's South.

For the benefit of local residents, the Thai private sector wants incentives from the government for additional investments in the area such as private hospitals, hotels, and developments on the railroad system.

"We want the government to concentrate on the railroad to link Udon Thani to Sakon Nakhon, and from there to Nakhon Phanom and directly go to Mukdahan, the province which will be the efficient passage way to transport goods and resources to Lao PDR and Vietnam," Nakhon Phanom Chamber of Commerce chairman Mongkol Tansuwan said.

Meanwhile, although the locations of the three Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges offer strategic options for traders, in the long run Nakhon Phanom governor viewed that the spans should clearly serve different purposes.

"The government should act as a central body with related agencies to analyse the strength of each friendship bridge to indicate which overpass should serve which purpose in order that we can use [all three] bridges for the utmost benefit of this region and our country," said Rerngsak Mahavinitchaimontri, Nakhon Phanom governor.

However, there are always two sides of the coin. With the convenience in transportation, illegal drugs have increasingly been smuggled across the borders. Over 100,000 methamphetamine pills were seized at Nong Khai border checkpoint this year alone despite tightened measures imposed by related agencies.

Also, as casinos are open in Thailand's neighbouring countries across the border and shuttle vans carry passengers from and to Thailand, Mukdahan province can do nothing to those loving to challenge their luck but only express concerns on the matter by putting signs to remind them of the downside of gambling. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2010-12-24

[asiawatcher]

I still think Laos is an untapped gem. I welcome any move to improve access.

[gemini81]

maybe they'll eventually stop thinking they're better than lao people