The Governor of Prachuap Khirikhan and the Governor of Marid in Myanmar are officially opening Singkhon Permanent Checkpoint in December, 2012, to promote all trades and businesses for the upcoming ASEAN Community in 2015. Singkhon is located a few KM away from Prachuab Khirikhan on the Burmese Border.According to the chairman of Prachuap Khirikhan Chamber of Commerce Mr. Sura-ath Narongrit, the Chamber of Commerce, along with the chairman of Industrial Council Mr. Wirach Piyapornpaiboon, the Prachuap Khirikhan Governor Mr. Weera Sriwattanatrakul and Mr. Tun Tun Win, the chairman of Marid Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, have signed in a Memorandum of Understanding to launch a project, ‘1 Border 1 Commercial Gateway’.
This project, to start in December, 2012, aims to welcome ASEAN Community in 2015.The signed MoU will promote joint business among private companies in arid and Prachuap Khirikhan. Without any legal commitment between the 2 countries, the MoU strengthens cooperation and friendship of Thailand and Myanmar. All contents in the document were written in Thai, Burmese and English. The MoU was signed on 23 September 2012.
The road from Marid to Singkhon Checkpoint is around 200 kilometers. At present, the government of Myanmar is paving the road to Singkhon Checkpoint. Since the government still lack funding for the road pavement and the lignite coal electricity generating factory, it welcomes Thai business people to work with it.
”Business that may attract Thai entrepreneurs includes hotel and tourism because Marid has around 800 small islands that boast natural wonders. Otherwise, they can do business on fresh seafood which Marid usually imports to Koh Song in Ranong and makes 1 billion Baht a month,” said Mr. Sura-ath. “Opening Singkhon Checkpoint will therefore yield a lot of benefits to Thailand in terms of imports and exports.
” The Governor of Prachuap Khirikhan said that Thai and Burmese governments were having a Government-to-Government discussion, or G2G, for the time being. For the sake of the two nations’ benefits, the checkpoint will be open in December, 2012.Currently, the Prime Minister Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra is allocating a budget of 12 billion Baht for construction of an immigration office and a customs bureau at the checkpoint besides other public offices there. At present, a plan of the construction and infrastructure is being formulated.
Note from the editor: would be great if we could do Visa runs at this checkpoint to save us timely and costly trips to the other surrounding countries.
