First-phase medium-speed rail project to begin in interim Thai government

BANGKOK, July 8 (TNA) - Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha has stressed that the first part of a medium-speed railway project, jointly invested by Thailand and China, will begin in his interim government. The prime minister suggested on Tuesday that people should not be concerned over a high cost of the project because its implementation will be transparent and it is a government-to-government deal, like another similar joint Thai-Japanese investment project. The prime minister explained that the joint Sino-Thai rail investment project consists of two parts, one is Chinese investment and the other is a soft loan the Thai government will borrow from any source, including China, and the public debt must not create a long-term burden. The prime minister insisted that at least the first part of the joint Sino-Thai rail investment project must happen in the term of his interim administration, while the other part will be the task of the next government. (TNA)