BANGKOK, Feb 2 — Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will visit Japan Feb 9 to discuss a railway project to link, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia, Deputy Prime Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula said here this morning.
According to Mr Pridiyathorn, the railway will be standard-gauge, 1.435 meters wide, but an investment plan has yet to be concluded.
The deputy prime minister said that in a meeting of Thai and Myanmar officials and an advisor to the Japanese prime minister on Friday, Thailand and Myanmar agreed to invite the Japanese government as the third partner to develop the Dawei industrial estate in Myanmar with the project including a deep-sea port. They expect Japan will accept the invitation.
This morning Mr Pridiyathorn opened the 23rd Japan-Thailand Joint Trade and Economic Committee Meeting at the Centara CentralWorld Hotel. It is a private sector forum from both countries. About 60 Japanese business leaders joined about 100 Thai business leaders in attendance.
On the occasion, the deputy prime minister said that Japan had helped Thailand develop its industries for over 50 years and the industries grew well, especially in the automotive sector.
Supant Mongkolsuthee, chair of the Federation of Thai Industries, said Japan remained as the top investor in Thailand last year. It proposed 672 projects worth Bt293.33 billion to seek promotional privileges from the Board of Investment, investment which accounted for 54 per cent of all foreign investment here. (MCOT online news)
