Thailand steps up efforts for closer rail links with Laos, China
The Thai Ministry of Transport has ordered several government agencies and organisations to enhance efforts in improving rail transportation between Thailand, Laos and China.
Bangkok (VNA) – The Thai Ministry of Transport hasordered several government agencies and organisations to enhance efforts in improvingrail transportation between Thailand, Laos and China.
According to Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob,the committee to connect railways between the three countries has approved theguidelines for related organisations and requested the Department of Highways toask for a budget to study the construction of a new bridge across the MekongRiver for both cars and trains.
The committee approved orders for the State Railway ofThailand to hasten construction of the Bangkok - Nong Khai high-speed railway,and proposed the Khon Kaen - Nong Khai dual-track railway project to theCabinet.
It also adopted aplan to turn the Nong Khairailway station into a products transfer area.
Saksayam said the committee will also consider the freightrate and cost to support railway development as the main transportation form betweenThailand, Laos, and China, he noted.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been required to gatherinformation on the development in Laos to exchange and cooperate with relatedorganisations in Thailand to make an export strategy.
Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry will beresponsible for monitoring the trading situation between Thailand and China andutilise rail transportation to support trade exchange between the two countries./.
Thailand, Laos and China have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on the development of a rail line connecting Thailand’s Nong Khai province with Laos’s Vientiane capital city.
Thai cabinet has asked the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) to quickly design and build a second bridge from Nong Khai province to Laos, to connect to the new China-Laos railway.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
Illustrative image (Photo: AFP) 
