Mumbai, Aug. 12 -- Myanmar and Thailand have urged faster progress on the India?Myanmar?Thailand Trilateral Highway Project, emphasising regional connectivity and cross border infrastructure. The call followed a joint statement after the visit of Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing to Bangkok, where the two sides discussed measures to strengthen transport and economic links. The statement described the highway as a priority for subregional integration.
The leaders reaffirmed commitment to enhancing connectivity and endorsed the establishment of a Joint Working Group on Myanmar?Thailand connectivity. The mechanism will coordinate multimodal plans covering road, maritime, port and cross border links and promote alignment of policies, procedures and regulations. Officials identified harmonisation and streamlined customs processes as means to reduce delays and improve logistics.
Among the areas identified for cooperation was the advancement of the Trilateral Highway Project, which seeks to strengthen links between South Asia and Southeast Asia and support trade and investment flows. The discussions also covered promotion of maritime connectivity, improvement of transport corridors and exploration of special economic zones and logistics facilities along the shared border. Such measures were presented as means to enhance trade, improve logistics efficiency and facilitate cross border investment.
The leaders welcomed the reopening of the border checkpoint at the Second Myanmar?Thailand Friendship Bridge linking Myawaddy and Mae Sot and agreed to consider reopening additional border trade posts subject to mutual agreement and the prevailing security situation. They emphasised that phased restoration of border links would be coordinated with local authorities to ensure safety and operational readiness. Implementation timelines were described as dependent on on ground assessments and administrative alignment.
Senior officials were instructed to pursue the next steps through the suggested Joint Working Group and to prepare practical roadmaps for project delivery and border facilitation. The coordination mechanism will provide a forum for technical planning and regulatory convergence without imposing a single authority. Observers noted that progress on these initiatives would enhance connectivity across the broader region and support longer term economic integration.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.