The Hindu : Road to Bangkok in two years

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Apr 07, 2002

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Road to Bangkok in two years

By C. Raja Mohan

YANGON April 6. The External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh, wrapped up his nine-day, four-nation Asian tour by bagging a landmark project that will connect India by road to Thailand via Myanmar in about two years.

At a meeting of their Foreign Ministers here today, the three nations expressed their collective political resolve to create a transport corridor linking the three nations and develop other common infrastructure projects.

The road will dramatically increase external connectivity to the India's North-East and eventually give the country access to the South China Sea. The corridor will run from Moreh in Manipur to the ancient city of Bagan in central Myanmar and join Thailand at Mae Sot.

The 1,400-km corridor running through Myanmar and linking India and Thailand is expected to be completed within 18 to 24 months, the Ministers said at the end of their conference. It is expected to bring substance and synergy to India's ``Look East'' policy and the ``Look West'' initiative of Thailand.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Singh expressed ``complete satisfaction'' at the decision and said the ``past immobility'' in India's efforts to gain physical connectivity with its neighbours ``has come to an end''. ``There are times when small events mark great beginnings,'' Mr. Singh had told the plenary session of the Ministers earlier.

The incipient strategic cooperation between India, Thailand and Myanmar will not be limited to the land corridor but would also involve other projects such as a deep sea port at Dawei in Myanmar that could serve all the three countries.

Asked by a Western reporter if the project was aimed at countering the Chinese economic influence in Myanmar, Mr. Singh said, ``India's relations with Myanmar should not be seen from the prism of any third party'' and pointed to his recent productive visit to China.

Speed has never been the hallmark of Indian foreign policy. In that context, the rapid evolution of the trilateral initiative has surprised observers.

The idea of a highway linking the three countries first came up during the visit of the Thai Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, to India last November.

The three Ministers agreed today to set up two task forces to examine technical issues and financing. The task forces will meet in May and the three Ministers will review the progress in July.

Many stretches of the proposed transport corridor already exist. Some of them need to be strengthened and a few gaps will have to be plugged by building new roads.

The Foreign Minister of Thailand, Surakiart Sathirathai, said there should be little difficulty in raising finances for the project, despite the parlous economic condition of Myanmar and the international sanctions imposed by many countries against it.

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