Thailand to help develop GMS, join Dawei port project

BANGKOK, July 3 (TNA) - Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha says Thailand is determined to develop its own economy in the way that will also benefit other member countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), while also joining forces with Japan and Myanmar to develop the Dawei Deep Seaport in Myanmar. The Thai prime minister, who is visiting Japan from July 2-4 to attend the 7th Mekong-Japan Summit, announced the policies on Friday while delivering a speech at the Mekong-Five Economic Forum, organized by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) as part of the summit. The prime minister affirmed that Thailand will realise jointly-agreed projects that will also help boost the development of overall GMS member countries, including transport network expansion from Thailand to neighbouring countries. Besides, the Thai prime minister promised to streamline regulations to facilitate trade and investment in GMS. The Thai leader also referred to a 672-kilometer high-speed railway project from Chiang Mai Province in the Thai North to Bangkok under the North-South Economic Corridor Strategy and a double-track railway plan from Kanchanaburi Province in the Thai West via Bangkok to Sa Kaeo Province and Laem Chabang area in Chonburi Province in the Thai East under the South Economic Corridor Strategy to connect to the Dawei special economic zone that Thailand will jointly develop with Japan and Myanmar. The Thai premier expressed gratitude towards Japan for its support for the Dawei project, which demonstrates mutual support for each other's growth. Japan, Myanmar and Thailand are scheduled to sign a memorandum of intent (MOI) on their joint development of the Dawei economic zone on July 4. GMS member countries include Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand and China's southern Yunnan Province. (TNA)