THAI Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said after holding talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh today (Sept. 7) that the two countries will jointly link a rail route from Thailand to the Cambodian capital as soon as possible, INN News said.
This would be an historic rail route as it would link Thailand to other Mekong sub-region countries and agreements will be signed to take the best possible care of the rail operators of both countries, General Prayut added.
According to an article published by Thediplomat.com Cambodia and Thailand have long sought to complete a railway line connecting them which would boost tourism and business.
For Cambodia, the link would be part of a broader rehabilitation of its rail system, much of which was destroyed during civil war beginning in the 1970s. And for Thailand, it would serve as another project within the current government’s ambitious infrastructure plans.
Mr Hun Sen said the two countries had agreed to open four permanent border checkpoints to make it easier for people to travel between the two countries.
He added that talks were also held on drug and human trafficking and that he would like Cambodians to work in a legally correct manner in Thailand and not be duped into working illegally.
Mr Hun Sen also said where trade is concerned Thailand had agreed to buy more Cambodian agricultural products while Cambodia will be increasing the purchase of Thai products five times.
General Prayut said Thailand is willing to help develop the quality of Cambodian agricultural products which could be jointed traded and exported to other countries with the target being to reach 15 billion dollars by 2020.
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Top: Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at a press conference in Phnom Penh today. Photo: INN News
Thailand and Cambodia agreed on Thursday to open four more border checkpoints and vowed to achieve their bilateral trade target.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Cambodian Premier Hun Sen hoped to see the quick opening of a checkpoint between Ban Nong Ian in Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district and Stung Bot in Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province to relieve traffic congestion at the crossing between Aranyaprathet and Poipet.
The Aranyaprathet checkpoint is the gateway of trade between the two countries.
The other three checkpoints to be opened have not been named.
Opening more crossings and transport links is part of their strategy to increase trade and contacts between Thailand and Cambodia.
The two countries want to restore by 2020 the Aranyaprathet-Phnom Penh rail link severed due to internal conflicts in Cambodia, according to the Thai government website.
The railway line faces a delay in Cambodia and a plan to put it on the agenda at the meeting of the two prime ministers was shelved.
"The linkages are key to development and prosperity of the two countries," the Thai government statement said.
Deputy government spokesman Weerachon Sukondhapatipak said Thailand and Cambodia promised to achieve the bilateral trade target of US$15 billion by 2020.
The goal is a big jump for the two countries, given the Thai Commerce Ministry data of $6 billion for 2015.
Gen Prayut and Mr Hun Sen witnessed the signing ceremony of an agreement for an exemption from double taxation aimed at promoting investment.
Thailand and Cambodia has agreed at the 3rd Joint Cabinet Retreat in Phnom Penh today (Sept 7) to go ahead with the opening of four more border crossings as Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha promised to take a good care of all legal Cambodian migrant workers.
Gen Prayut and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday (Sept 7) co-chaired the 3rd Joint Cabinet Retreat (JCR) in Phnom Penh to exchange opinions on various issues and promote partnership for peace and prosperity, according to a Government House release.
The two sides agreed that the Thai-Cambodian relations and constructive cooperation have increased on every level. Thailand has placed importance on border development, especially to connect the two countries both by land and sea, with an aim to enhance economic growth along the border through cross-border trade and tourism.
The two sides discussed preparations to open four more border crossings, particularly a permanent border checkpoint at Nong Ian – Stung Bot where a bridge across the border, buildings and other facilities are required to be completed as soon as possible.
Gen Prayut thanked Hun Sen for composing four songs as a gift for the Thai government’s assistance to build the Nong Ian – Stung Bot bridge.
The two countries agreed to expedite the construction of the rail route from Aranyaprathet to Poipet, Si Sophone and Phnom Penh so that it can be completed by 2019. Once completed, the railway will serve as a tourist route between the two countries and in the sub-region. It will be the first rail route connecting Thailand and other countries in the Mekong sub-region.
Regarding the joint target of increasing the bilateral trade volume to 15,000 million dollars by 2020, concerned agencies have been assigned to find measures to promote cross-border trade, including at the Nong Ian – Stung Bot which will soon be opened.
Gen Prayut told the Cambodian side Thailand will take a good care of all legal Cambodian migrant workers, to make sure that they get due protection and benefits according to the Thai law. Emphasis will be given to government-to-government import of labour forces.
The Thai prime minister was full of praise for the signing of an agreement between the two countries to do away with double-taxation to enable more investments to flow to Cambodia.
The two prime ministers were satisfied with continued cooperation in the field of security and suppression of drugs and human-trafficking as well as steps taken to solve the problem over the poaching of protected phayung (Siamese Rosewood) trees.
Gen Prayut and his entourage are scheduled to return to Thailand Thursday afternoon.
A train cruises through the Cambodian countryside, part of the railway line that connects Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville in the coast. KT/Chor Sokunthea
The railway line connecting Phnom Penh to Poipet in Bantey Meanchey province and further on to neighbouring Thailand will be fully operational in 2018, with officials on both sides of the border saying it will be pivotal in bolstering trade between Cambodia and Thailand.
“The new line from Phnom Penh to Poipet city is expected to be completed next year, well ahead of our previous deadline, which was 2020,” said Sun Chanthol, the Minister of Transportation.
“Now we are speeding up work on this line to have it ready by 2018, so we can have a railway connection to Thailand.”
The line, generally referred to as the western rail line, has 130 kilometres that still need to be built or repaired, with the ministry seeking $20 million in funding from the national budget through the Ministry of Economy and Finance, according to Ly Borin, an under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
Mr Borin also said that if their request for funds is approved, the project will be awarded to a private company through a bidding process.
The section of the line in disrepair, damaged during wartime, extends from Pursat province to the capital, Mr Borin noted, adding that other sections of the western rail line have been fully repaired and are ready to carry trains.
The western rail line is one of only two railway lines that exist in the kingdom. The other one, connecting Phnom Penh to Preah Sihanouk province in the coast, is already in service.
The Phnom Penh-Poipet rail line is expected to play a key role in facilitating trade and the movement of people between Cambodia and Thailand, with leaders from both countries having publicly committed to tripling bilateral trade to $15 billion by the year 2020.
Mr Borin could not provide a tentative date for an official launching ceremony for the new line, but said it will probably take place early next year.
He added that officials on both sides of the border are already working on setting up the protocols and systems for the crossing of people and goods at the border.
Cambodia’s transport-minister claims a rail connection to Thailand will definitely be inaugurated before the end of 2018. Sun Chanthol said the government would be expediting contracts for the repair and relaying of rail tracks between Phnom Penh and Poipet.
A secretary with the ministry, Ly Borin, said most of the tracks from Pursat up to Poipet had been renovated. He carried on with the explanation that 130kms of the line still needed refurbishing and this was mostly between Pursat and Phnom Penh.
This latter stretch of tracks was damaged during the civil war and Khmer Rouge era of the 1970s. Ly Borin said an estimated budget of US$20 million would be needed to finish the project. Once the funds have been approved, the repairs contracts will be put out to tender.
12GO ASIA explains that the last time trains from Phnom Penh to Poipet, Aranyaprathet and Thailand ran was after WWII. Services beyond Battambang were suspended by the ruling French government in 1946. Phnom Penh to Battambang trains were withdrawn in 2009 as the tracks were in such a bad state of repair.
Royal Railways started running trains between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville in 2016. The plan is to launch passenger services to Thailand once the line to Poipet is restored.
Malaysia plans to expand its connectivity with the kingdom, particularly air travel, a high-ranking Malaysian official said on the weekend.
In an interview with Khmer Times on Saturday, Malaysia’s Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Aziz Kaprawi said he hopes to see more Cambodian airlines flying to Malaysia, as it would increase the number of travellers visiting the Southeast Asian economic powerhouse.
“More flights means more passengers and better connectivity. It will strengthen the relationship between Malaysia and Cambodia as Kuala Lumpur is viewed as an icon in Asean,” Mr Kaprawi said.
“The fact that by the end of January there would be four airlines operating between Phnom Penh and Kuala Lumpur is a very positive indication of the growth of travellers between the two destinations as well as the Asean region as a whole.
“Malaysia is a tourist destination and so is Cambodia, with its many heritage sites and cultural venues which attract millions each year. Thus, additional flights by other airlines can only benefit both countries in promoting tourism and trade.”
Mr Kaprawi said the new Bassaka Air flight connecting Phnom Penh and Kuala Lumpur, which launches on January 31, was a significant step in boosting connectivity between both nations and suggested the air carrier explores the possibility of flying to other locations in Malaysia, for example, Penang.
“If a fifth freedom flight agreement could be worked with reciprocal rights for Malaysian airlines, the travel sector between Malaysia and Phnom Penh will be more attractive and even more convenient for travellers, not just tourists but also businessmen.
“For Bassaka Air, I am confident that they will do well as I am sure they have done their studies and will probably cater to a niche market in addition to other travellers,” he said.
With four companies now covering the Phnom Penh-Kuala Lumpur route, airlines, especially those based in Cambodia like Bassaka, should look into tour packages and other incentives to attract more travellers, he said.
Malaysia’s Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Aziz Kaprawi during an interview with Khmer Times. Supplied
Bassaka Air, he added, should also consider entering codeshare agreements and other forms of cooperation with regional airlines as well as acting as a feeder airline for destinations within the kingdom that are not served by large carriers.
Regarding sea freight, the Malaysian deputy minister said he was studying the possibility of upgrading the eastern Malaysian seaport of Kuantan with direct shipping routes to Sihanoukville, arguing that this would be the shortest route between both nations.
Mr Kaprawi also said railroads may in the near future help bring Malaysia and Cambodia together. He said Malaysia’s railway network continues to expand, with Thailand taking advantage of Malaysia’s railroads to send cargo to Port Klang.
“Large sea-going vessels do not go to Bangkok Port because of technical issues, such as water depth and existing facilities,” he said. “Malaysian ports, on the other hand, can accommodate giant vessels which can then transship to feeder vessels to serve ports where large vessels cannot dock, either because of a lack of facilities, narrow channels or insufficient water depth.”
In the future, with further expansion of China’s One Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), rail connectivity between Cambodia and Malaysia will be a possibility. The railway section in Thailand could be easily linked to the existing railroad systems in Malaysia, Cambodia and possibly even Laos, Mr Kaprawi added.
He said Malaysia was trying to find synergies in all forms of transportation with land-linked countries, hoping to capitalise on the different projects in the region that China has initiated as part of the BRI.
“I can see possibilities for a collaboration between the port of Sihanoukville and Port Klang. It will help facilitate economic activity and freight movement between the two countries.
“Many Chinese ports collaborate with Malaysian ports as vessels from China have to use the Straits of Malacca,” he said. “Cambodia can act as a back-up, being a feeder port for these giant vessels headed to bigger ports.”
He added that just as air connectivity between Cambodia and Malaysia has improved tremendously in the past few years, linkages between both nations based on other modes of transport will surely improve in the near future.
PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha is expected to push for sustainable water use among countries along the lower part of the Mekong River when he attends the 2nd Lancang Mekong Cooperation (LMC) summit in Phnom Penh today.
Prayut said yesterday that countries in the lower part of the Mekong – Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam – are “troubled” by dams being built in the upper part of Southeast Asia’s longest river.
However it remains unclear how the issue will be addressed at the summit, which is mostly aimed at advancing the newest sub-regional scheme to become a modern cooperation framework.
At the summit today, Prayut will sit with five other leaders from the Mekong basin to endorse the Five-Year Plan of Action (2018 – 2022) and the Phnom Penh Declaration.
Established in 2015, the LMC comprises China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, and aims to forge political and security cooperation, economic and sustainable development, and social, culture and people-to-people exchange.
The LMC is regarded as a forum to promote China’s influence and synergise with its Belt and Road Initiative. However, the Thai delegation wants the scheme to become an economic hub and sustainable development model through innovation and modern industries consistent with the Thailand 4.0 initiative and Eastern Economic Corridor development policies.
Thailand’s push is probably compatible with the LMC economic plan of action, as the six countries promote connectivity, including infrastructure upgrades such as railways. China is now working with countries in the region, including Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, to realise the dream of a “trans-Asean railway”.
Prayut is expected to pursue talks on the upcoming Thailand-Cambodia railway line, a part of Singapore-Kunming rail link and ultimately the Eastern Economic Corridor.
The premier said that the project has drawn to “near completion” despite suffering from several delays earlier.
Border control and trade and investment with emphasis on agricultural goods should also be discussed with Cambodia, Prayut added.
In the plan, they would promote the increase of application of global satellite navigation systems, including the Chinese Beidou system, in the Mekong countries.
In the area of economic cooperation, the six countries have plans to improve production capacity, promote cross-border trade, and build a long term, stable, sustainable and diversified financing system. The five-year action plan in the economic field also covers water resource management, agriculture, poverty reduction, forestry and environmental protection.
In the political and security field, the six countries – which have different political regimes, ranging from communist to military rule and semi-democracy – would promote dialogue and exchanges among political parties, according to the draft of the plan seen by The Nation.
Their cooperation in the security field mostly focused on non-traditional security threats such as combating drug and human trafficking, smuggling, terrorism, and trans-boundary and cybercrimes.
The action plan would also enhance cooperation in the field of disaster prevention and mitigation as well as humanitarian assistance.
On the social and culture front, the action plan would explore the establishment of the Lancang-Mekong Tourism Cities Cooperation Alliance to promote tourism and people exchange in the region.
A train headed to Sihanoukville on the coast. KT/Chor Sokunthea
The war-damaged western rail line, linking Phnom Penh to Poipet on the Thai border, will be finished before the end of 2018, according to a new dateline set in a report from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT).
In its annual report, MPWT indicated that one of their priorities for the year is to finish the railway that connects the capital with Battambang and Poipet before the present year comes to an end.
The same report also notes that negotiations with Thailand over certain technical aspects of the project are ongoing, but sets the goal of finalising them before the end of 2018.
“We are working hard to complete the western rail line by July,” Minister of Transport Sun Chanthol told reporters after his ministry’s annual meeting earlier this week.
“130 kilometres still need to be repaired.”
The estimated cost of repairing those 130 kilometres is $20 million, according to Ly Borin, MPTW’ Secretary of State.
The western rail line is one of only two railways that exist in the kingdom. The other one, connecting Phnom Penh to Preah Sihanouk province in the coast, is already in service.
Mr Borin said yesterday that nearly 60 percent of the rail line has been completed and that negotiations with Thailand will end soon.
“Everything is running as planned. We are now focusing on speeding up work,” Mr Borin said.
Once the railway is finished, an official ceremony will take place to celebrate the connection of the rail lines in Cambodia and Thailand.
During that ceremony, a four-carriage train will be given to Cambodia as a donation from Thailand.
The Phnom Penh-Poipet rail line is expected to play a key role in facilitating trade and the movement of people between Cambodia and Thailand, with leaders from both countries having publicly committed to tripling bilateral trade to $15 billion by the year 2020.
Trade between both countries was valued at $5.5 billion in 2017, a 10 percent increase year-on-year.
SA KAEO: Refurbishing of the train track from Aranyaprathet to the border is now completed, but the planned reopening of the rail link between Thailand and Cambodia will not happen soon.
Aranyaprathet station master Sutthipoj Suwanchawee said the 6.5 kilometre line between Aranyaprathet station and Khlong Luek at the border, adjoining Cambodia's Poipet township, is now ready for use.
However, the State Railway of Thailand must wait for the completion of work on the line on the Cambodian side before train services can recommence, he said.
Train services from Thailand through Aranyaprathet to the Cambodian border province of Battambang were severed during the years of factional fighting in Cambodia, which saw the line fall into disrepair.
It is now planned to resume services, this time also connecting the two capital cities.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Cambodian Premier Hun Sen confirmed the plan during a meeting on the sidelines of the Mekong summit in Phnom Penh on Jan 10, hoping to see the tracks connected by the end of this month and a rail service running between Bangkok and Phnom Penh by 2020.
But they might have to wait a bit longer.The Cambodian Ministry of Public Works and Transport said in a report that the long-delayed repairs to the 130 kilometre track from Battambang to Poipet will not be completed for several more months, according to the Khmer Times.
"We are working hard to complete the western rail line by July," the Khmer Times quoted Cambodian Transport Minister Sun Chanthol as saying last week.
The Thai-Cambodian train link is part of the regional network to improve transport among Southeast Asian countries and China in a bid to increase trade, investment and contacts.
Trade between the two countries was valued at US$5.5 billion in 2017, a 10% increase year-on-year. The two prime ministers last year pledged to triple bilateral trade to $15 billion by 2020.
The imminent completion of a rail link between Thailand and Cambodia and the opening of two new international border crossings have renewed prospects for commercial growth in Poipet and pushed up real estate prices.
Freshly laid railway track near Serei Saophoan, part of a project to rebuild a rail line to Thailand via Poipet. Photo by Hin Pisei
The section of the western railway line linking Poipet in Banteay Meanchey province to Battambang is now ready to be tested after the train stations were connected on Tuesday, with trial runs likely to happen before Khmer New Year, according to the Minister of Transport.
Speaking at the nation’s first official logistics forum on Tuesday, Minister of Transport and Public Works Sun Chanthol also announced that Thai counterparts have finished work on the section of the line that runs in Thailand, from Aranya Pratet in the border to Bangkok.
He added that is now time to test the section of the railway that goes from Poipet to Battambang through Sisophon, with test runs already scheduled to take place sometime before Khmer New Year in mid-April.
“We are ready to test passenger trains on the tracks that connect Poipet and Battambang before Khmer New Year,” Mr Chanthol said.
The southern section of the line, from Battambang to Phnom Penh, could be completed as early as July, he said.
“We are working hard to complete the western rail line. It will be finished by July or by end of this year the latest,” the minister said, adding that 130 kilometres in this part of the line still need to be repaired, which will cost the government $20 million.
Book Laychy, director of Banteay Meanchey’s commerce department, said the railway station in Sisophon is too small to handle large cargo, but announced the government is building a new one to facilitate the movement of freight.
“Once the final section of the line is ready, the cost of transport will be significantly reduced,” Mr Laychy said. “Currently, exporters spent about $25 per ton to transport cassava by land to Sihanoukville.”
Minister Chanthol acknowledged during the logistics forum that the high costs associated with the local transport sector is one of the major barriers to the industry’s development, but assured attendants that his ministry, in cooperation with the private sector and development partners, is hard at work to bring down prices.
He said the new logistic master plan, which should be ready next month, will help bring down prices and increase the efficiency of the country’s transportation network.
“We are working with the customs and tax departments, ports and every stakeholder in the sector to eliminate unofficial fees and lower the cost of transportation,” he explained.
The western rail line is one of only two railways that exist in the kingdom. The other one, connecting Phnom Penh to Preah Sihanouk province in the coast, is already in service.
It is expected to play a key role in facilitating trade and the movement of people between Cambodia and Thailand, with leaders from both countries having publicly committed to tripling bilateral trade to $15 billion by the year 2020.
Trade between both countries was valued at $5.5 billion in 2017, a 10 percent increase year-on-year.
The railway track in Banteay Meanchey province over the Serei Saophoan river in the city. Photo supplied
A 60-kilometre stretch of Cambodia’s long-delayed railway from Phnom Penh to the Thai border in Poipet has been completed, Transportation Minister Sun Chanthol said on Monday.
The comments came during a logistics forum hosted by the European Chamber of Commerce in Phnom Penh, during which Chanthol gave brief introductory remarks about the status of transportation infrastructure in Cambodia.
After listing several construction projects currently in the works, Chanthol made a show of checking his watch before announcing that significant construction on the long-awaited railway to the Thai border was “completed today”.
Va Sim Sorya, director general at the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, confirmed yesterday the completion of 60 kilometres of track between Poipet and Mongkol Borey, a district in Banteay Meanchey south of provincial capital Sisophon.
The Sisophon to Poipet segment was originally scheduled to be completed by mid-2016, but was pushed back several times due to legal hurdles, persistent rain and land disputes.
“From now on, the train can be operational from Poipet to Mongkol Borey, as the construction of [this section of] railroad is fully completed,” he said, though he added that passenger trains were not yet running and he wasn’t sure when they were set to begin.
The completed stretch is one phase of construction, part of a much longer planned track stretching from the Thai border to Phnom Penh. According to Sim Sorya, the government plans that track to eventually carry passengers from the Kingdom’s capital to Bangkok at an average of 40 to 60 kilometres an hour.
The ministry has been working on construction of the proposed rail line in segments: first, from Poipet to Mongkol Borey, which was recently completed; second, Mongkol Borey to Battambang; third, Battambang to Pursat; and last, Pursat to Phnom Penh.
“We expect the railroad connecting Pursat to Phnom Penh will be completed in June of this year,” Sorya said, adding that much of the last segment of track would be renovated rather than replaced.
Ngor Mengchruon, deputy governor of Banteay Meanchey province, confirmed on Tuesday that the railway was already being used to deliver goods. When asked when the railway would open to passengers, Mengchruon said to “wait for the inauguration”.
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