Thai Princess inaugurates 3rd Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge

NAKHON PHANOM, November 11 (TNA) - Thailand's Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presided over a ceremony to inaugurate the 3rd Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge on Friday, together with Lao Vice President H.E. Bounnhang Vorachit. The gracious event to cut the ribbon of the 3rd Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge by the Thai Princess and the Lao Vice President was held early Friday afternoon at the middle of the 1.42-kilometre bridge, during which Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her Lao counterpart Thongsing Thammavong delivered their speeches. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and H.E. Lao Vice President then presided over the hand-over ceremony of the Lao immigration terminal at the foot of the 3rd Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge on the Thai side, during which the Thai and Lao Prime Ministers delivered their speeches to officially open the Lao immigration checkpoint. The twin auspicious events, which were also attended by Lao and Thai delegations and other distinguished guests, ended with a luncheon, symbolising the two sister countries' celebrations of the 3rd Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge, linking Lao PDR's Khammouan Province with Thailand's northeastern Nakhon Phanom Province. The 900-day construction of the 60-million-US-dollar-3rd Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge, designed and sponsored by the Thai Ministry of Transport's Department of Highways, was aimed to facilitate cross-border land transport among member countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), as Lao PDR's Khammouan Province also connects to Vietnam and China. Meanwhile, Lao PDR also established the 3rd Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge Special Economic Zone, located at an area near the bridge, on the same occasion, to provide more incentives and promote local and foreign entrepreneurs who do their businesses in the special zone. A trade fair between Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam is also being organised on the sidelines of the inauguration of the 3rd Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge, from November 9-15, to promote trade and other related activities between the three neighbouring countries and other remaining members of the GMS, including Cambodia, Myanmar and China. (TNA)