Thailand to speed up cross-border marine link project

BANGKOK , June 16 (TNA) - Thai Transport Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan said Saturday that he will propose to a Joint Public-Private Sector Consultative Committee meeting next week for the need to build a new large port to facilitate goods transportation to neighbouring Cambodia with low costs. Charupong told journalists while inspecting a road construction and the goods transportation development project in Bo Rai district of Thailand's eastern resort Trat province that he will convince the committee the need to construct the new modern port to transport goods to Cambodia. Charupong revealed that the construction of the project started early last year but has been suspended since August 2011, as part of the land where the port is to be built stands on the national forest reserve; so, his ministry plans to raise the issue with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and request a Thai Cabinet approval of the construction of the port on the reserved land. According to the minister an existing port in Khlong Yai border district, also in Trat, has handled cargoes destined for Cambodia with a total value of about 28 billion baht annually and the new port will further boost marine trade between Thailand and Cambodia. The minister said that the construction cost of the new port is totally estimated at 1.30 billion baht and should be completed on January 17, 2014 as scheduled, cautioning that the delay could push the cost up with its adjourned opening. (TNA)