Thailand, Japan to sign rail projects next month
Apr 30,2015
BANGKOK, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A Thai-Japanese deal will be signed next month to build a railway between Thailand's western and eastern borders, said Thai Deputy Transport Minister Arkhom Termpitayapaisit on Thursday.
In addition, one other memorandum of understanding will also be inked to build another railway linking the Thai northern city of Chiang Mai with the Thai capital, according to the deputy transport minister.
The MoUs between the Thai and Japanese governments on the construction of the 670-k.m. Bangkok-Chiang Mai high-speed rail project and that of the 537-k.m. Kanchanaburi-Aranyaprathet rail project are scheduled to be signed next month, Arkhom said.
Kanchanaburi is the Thai western province bordering Myanmar whose southern coastal township of Dawei is yet to be turned into a Special Economic Zone with an industrial estate, a deep-sea port and a railway linking with western Thailand.
The Thai-Japanese rail project will be stretched to Laem Chabang deep-sea port in the Thai eastern coastal province of Chonburi, he added.
"The rail project is primarily designed to connect Thailand's western border with its eastern border for the sake of logistical and economic development. It will not only transport cargoes between Thailand and Myanmar but between Thailand and Cambodia as well as Vietnam in the long run," the deputy minister commented.
Japan has planned to promote manufacturing ventures in eastern Thailand, such as in Map Ta Put industrial estate and nearby areas, with plans to export the Thai-based products to Myanmar and Vietnam.
Besides, the Japanese government will help conduct a feasibility study for the planned construction of a railway between the Thai northwestern province of Tak, bordering Myanmar, and the Thai northeastern province of Mukdaharn, across Mekong River from Laos, he added.
Thailand, Japan to sign rail projects next month | Shanghai Daily
may be 1st step of China in Dawei project...
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Huge Chinese-Backed Oil Refinery Planned in Dawei
A huge oil refinery planned by a Chinese company for Dawei on Burma’s southeast coast would be part of China’s self-styled New Silk Road Economic Belt, according to Beijing state news agency Xinhua.
Guangdong Zhenrong Energy is at an advanced state in negotiations to build a US$2.9 billion refinery with a production capacity of 5 million tonnes per year, Xinhua said. The refined oil products would be sold in Burma but also aimed at the export market.
“Zhenrong Energy received the go-ahead for the [Burma] project from the [Chinese] National Development and Reform Commission in November and is currently applying for state approval from the authorities in [Burma],” Xinhua said.
The refinery would be part of China’s so-called One Belt One Road strategy “which is emphasizing future infrastructure connectivity with various countries,” Xinhua quoted Xiao Yaofei, a professor with the School of Economics and Trade, Guangdong University as saying.
“Xiao said Zhenrong Energy’s [Burma] project should also pave the way for other petrochemical-related investments by other Chinese firms, such as those engaged in chemicals manufacturing, for instance, and its support industries,” Xinhua said.
The refinery, to be fed by imported crude using a 150,000-ton oil dock, would dwarf Burma’s existing refineries, but analysts note that Dawei is far from the country’s main industrial growth areas where demand for fuel is highest.....
