NEW DELHI: A 3,200-kilometer trilateral highway linking India, Myanmar and Thailand will become a reality by 2016. India has given a loan of U.S. $ 500 million to Myanmar, some of which will be used to finance the road, said Anil Wadhwa, Ambassador of India to Thailand.
In an interview with Thai newspaper The Nation, Wadhwa said the four days of the India-ASEAN Summit to be held on December 19 will focus on connectivity with ASEAN countries. Moreover, the sources said, the president of Myanmar, Thein Sein, Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra and Yingluck Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to meet on the sidelines of the summit to boost trilateral highway project.
Wadhwa said the viability of the road was complete and construction would begin shortly.The trilateral highway, which is also being funded by the Asian Development Bank and World Bank, will open the northeastern states of India to Southeast Asia. "This will connect India with Myanmar all the way to Mandalay. After that, we will connect with a place where the Thai authorities are building a road, which is 63 kilometers from the border between Thailand and Myanmar," Wadhwa, as was cited.
The trilateral highway project will allow trucks and moving of the container through the borders of India to Myanmar and Thailand through Chiang Rai and border cities. It will play a crucial role in promoting trade and investment flows in the three countries, creating jobs and other benefits, "he said.
"We hope this will benefit the North East India as well as four of our states are on the border with Myanmar, especially if there is connectivity to ports, as provided Dawei deep-water port and industrial zone in Myanmar" , Wadhwa said.
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