New border bridge plan gets a boost

Kolok River crossing will certainly boost trade

The government offers reaffirmed its plans for a Thai-Malaysian companionship bridge across the Kolok River in Sungai Kolok district, improving border trade plus tourism ties.

Deputy authorities spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said both nations have agreed to tighten ties via a second Thai-Malaysian friendship bridge which will accelerate their own bilateral trade target of US$30 billion dollars by 2025.

Deputy Best Minister and Ressortchef (umgangssprachlich) of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai, and Malaysian Minister associated with Foreign Affairs Dato Sri Saifuddin Abdullah, co-chaired the 14th Meeting of the Combined Commission for Bilateral Cooperation and the fifth Ministerial Meeting from the Committee on Shared Development Strategy for Edge Areas between Thailand and Malaysia, in Bangkok recently.

Ms Rachada said both countries also agreed to speed up border infrastructure projects, not only this bridge but also a road positioning to connect Immigration, Traditions, Quarantine and Protection in Malaysia’s Bukit Kayu Hitam town with the Sadao Traditions, Immigration and Quarantine checkpoint in Thailand’s Songkhla.

This would help to boost stability in politics, commerce, investment, tourism, energy, public health insurance and other socio-cultural types of cooperation, she mentioned.

In Narathiwat, RAdm Somkiat Ponprayoon, secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre, stated an adviser towards the Malaysian transport ressortchef (umgangssprachlich) and his staff lately visited Narathiwat to talk about progress of the bridge linking Thailand and Malaysia.

The group also talked about improvements to the traditions checkpoint at the edge districts of Sungai Kolok and Tak Bai and the Buketa checkpoint in Waeng district of Narathiwat, he said.

The link across the Kolok Water will be the second link in Sungai Kolok district linking in order to Rantau Panjang town of Kelantan, Malaysia.

It is a joint project under the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle.

The bridge starts on Tak Bai Junction in Narathiwat and runs to a highway in Malaysia, addressing 11 kilometres.

It is designed as a four-to-six street route.

The customs house and immigration workplace will be placed on the particular bridge in the ground-level area of tambon Koh Sathon in Narathiwat.

“Both the Thai and Malaysian governments will work on this project which usually people have been planning on for 10 years, ” added RAdm Somkiat.