Thailand to develop more industrial estates along border

BANGKOK, January 6 (TNA) - The Thai government plans to develop more industrial estates along the border to promote connection with neighboring countries. Vice Minister for Industry Suparp Khleekhachai told a public discussion on post-flood Thai industrial rehabilitation in Bangkok on Friday that as the country's existing industrial estates have already been congested, the government now plans to build three more industrial sites near frontiers with neighbouring countries to serve new investment projects. Suparp said that a new industrial estate will be built in Pu Nam Ron area of Thailand's western Kanchanaburi Province and will be operated in connection with Myanmar's Dawei Industrial Estate, noting that the Thai government has allocated a 25-million-baht-fund for a survey and a feasibility study of the plan with the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) set to begin the survey next week. According to the vice minister, another new industrial estate will be developed in Chiang Khong District of Chiang Rai Province in the Thai North to be connected with China's southern Yunnan Province and the other new industrial site is planned in Mae Sot District of the country's northwestern Tak Province. Besides, the vice minister acknowledged, the Thai government is also considering to develop one more industrial site in the country's northeastern Khon Kaen Province bordering Laos. Payungsak Chartsutipol, Chairmain of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), meanwhile, said that the FTI supports the government's policy to draw more investment projects into the Thai economy, proposing, however, that the Thai government seriously turn to environmentally friendly industrial estates and value-added products, instead of basic products. (TNA)