Extracts. New air link to Laos and Vietnam soon Service will extend to Burma in March Supamart Kasem A new air service linking Thailand, Laos and Vietnam is to be launched next month as part of the Greater Mekong Subregion co-operation plan, the president of the provincial chamber of commerce said. The debut flight by Lao Aviation had been scheduled for Feb 9, Thada Sathianruek said after a meeting between trade representatives from nine northern provinces on Friday. The meeting was chaired by the provincial governor, Thamapong Chakkaparb. The flight will depart from Nan to Vietnam's Dien Bien Phu, via Luang Prabang. Regular services had been scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, he said. Mr Thada said the service would be extended to Burma in March. The new route is the result of an agreement reached early last year between Thailand, China, Vietnam and Laos to promote economic and transportation co-operation. Nan airport has been upgraded to accommodate the service. To promote the transportation network, the Highways Department has provided 16 million baht to finance design and an environmental impact assessment study for a road linking Thailand's Huay Khon with Pak Bang in Laos. Switzerland has provided US$7.5 million to Laos to fund the construction of a bridge over the Khong River in Pak Bang, Mr Thada said. However, there was still a problem with the border town development plan in Huay Khon, as 14,110-rai of land earmarked for the project was in forest reserve areas. The provincial chamber of commerce would co-operate with government agencies in solving the problem, he said. Governor Thanapong said authorities are working to resolve a border dispute between Thailand and Laos to pave way for further co-operation. The Senate committee on foreign affairs chaired by Kraisak Choonhavan inspected the area last week and would encourage further talks, he said. **** Thai-Lao border trade vital Thongbai Thongpao Late last week, I went to Nan along the Thai-Lao border. Thai merchants have urged the opening of a gateway but several problems remain to be tackled, especially disagreement over what to use as the border mark between the two countries. Laos would like to use the river while Thailand insists on using the international border mark. Failure to solve this problem promptly has made it hard to normalise trade in the area. To date, if someone is to cross the border to see a friend or sell something, a temporary border crossing pass is used. However, officials in both countries handle things differently, causing annoying problems. Laotians complain that Thai merchants tend to bring out of date products to be sold in their country. They also claim that Thais charge ridiculously high tarriffs even for odds and ends. There is also a problem of double-taxation for many products. There are also complaints that Thais have too many checkpoints along the border. Separate checkpoints are set up by police, the army, the Forestry Department and the Customs Department, making life difficult. But the main thing that irritates Laos and makes it reluctant to unlock its door is because it believes an open door will allow anti-Laos elements to cause unrest. The Nan authorities say there is no such movement in the province but Laos is not convinced. In a recent incident, a Laotian who crossed the border to buy a car in Thailand was later reported missing together with 400,000 baht. It turned out he was detained at an army checkpoint and simply disappeared. Thai authorities failed to come up with a plausible explanation. All they did was to transfer some officers. Things became more embarassing when it turned out the missing man is the nephew of one of Laos's rulers. According to regional officials, mutual benefits await if ties are normalised and the way is cleared to China and Vietnam. If Thailand builds a road linking Nan to the highway in Laos, a short cut to China can be established. Thais can then use the highway to reach seven cities in Laos, including Luang Prabang and Vientiane. The link may also extend to Dian Bian Foo in Vietnam. Unlocking this door will pave the way for tourism and trade in Nan. Normalisation of ties will benefit Laos as well. Many Laotians receive medical treatment at Thai hospitals. A member of the Nan Chamber of Commerce said they want to build a hospital or nursing college in Nan to serve people in both countries. Laos also has a plan to build a lignite-fired power plant on its side which will create jobs for both countries. Thus Nan has potential to be a major gateway to Laos, China and Vietnam. But first the chamber official called for a speedy solution to the border demarcation problem and standardisation of tariff checkpoints and rates. Sesame, ginger and palm nuts are among the products the Laotians complain the Thai authority slap too high tarriffs on. As a result, they are delivered through Chiang Rai via the Mekong River where the products are not taxed. Soy beans, in particular, are subject to a monopoly. A handful of traders allocated quotas by the Commerce Ministry monopolise all the imports and choose to only import from the US despite lower prices in neighbouring countries. Also, the freight from Klong Toey to Vientiane is higher than from New York. At least drugs are not a problem. Laotians say they are not in a rush like Thais so there's no need for pills. But corruption in the form of inflated tariffs taints the mutual relationship. Laos is like our younger brother. If Thailand is sincere, mutual trade can blossom and benefit us more than friends in more remote countries. Apart from mutual trade benefits, we can help create stability and peace in the region. Now everything depends on whether the new government will favour this close neighbour more than those on the other side of the world. **** Four-nation economic union set up Bid to boost Mekong sub-region trade Wuthipong Srisilp A joint economic partnership has been set up to boost trade and investment between Thailand, Laos, Burma and China. Representatives of the chambers of commerce of the four countries signed an agreement on the establishment of the Joint Economic Quadrangle Committee, said Rachan Veeraphan, chairman of the Chiang Mai's chamber of commerce. The panel hopes to strengthen co-operation between the countries so their chambers of commerce can boost trade and investment and develop the Lanchang-Mekong sub-region. The panel includes three representatives of each member state's chamber of commerce, while the chairmanship of the panel rotates annually among the four in alphabetical order. The agreement was signed by Mr Rachan, Su Zhengguo from Yunnan, Chanpheng Bounnaphol from Laos and Burma's U Htein Win. Mr Su will be the first chairman of the committee. Mr Rachan said the panel will advise the countries how to solve problems regarding trade co-operation, promote investments and trade exhibitions, and provide investors and the public with information on trade and investment. The chambers of commerce from districts 9 and 10's economic quadrangle committee on Friday agreed to push for the development of Huay Kone border checkpoint in Nan as a gateway to other quadrangle countries. The panel will seek funds from the public and private sectors and foreign aid, to build roads linking Huay Kone to Pak Ngeu in Laos and Luang Prabang and a road from Nan to Uttaradit. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
