June 11, 2009
BANGKOK (AFP) - Thailand, Vietnam and Laos launched a scheme Thursday allowing trucks to drive across the three countries without stopping, in a major boost for road trade in the region, the Asian Development Bank said.
Hauliers going between Vietnam and Thailand can now get permits meaning their goods no longer have to be unloaded, checked and reloaded in transit country Laos and can proceed direct to their destinations, the ADB said.
The Southeast Asian nations formally exchanged traffic rights and introduced a customs transit system on Thursday and held ceremonies at the two key border crossings, it said in a statement.
"You can now set out from Thailand, do business in Laos, and arrive in time for dinner at Danang in Vietnam -- all in the space of a single day," said Arjun Thapan, who heads the ADB's Southeast Asia department.
"Because of the progress these countries have made, trade and tourism will prosper further," he said in the statement.
The new Cross-Border Transport Agreement speeds up overland shipments travelling along the "East-West Economic Corridor," which runs from Danang in central Vietnam, through to southwest Laos and into Thailand.
Permits have initially been granted for 1,200 commercial vehicles, 400 in each country, allowing them to be fast tracked at border-crossing check points, greatly reducing overland transport time.
The ADB first supported the development of the new trade route through a 57-million-dollar concessional loan in 1999, primarily to fund the construction and upgrade of roads in Vietnam and Laos.
"Ten years after Laos, Thailand and Vietnam first agreed to ease cross-border traffic rules, the promise of that agreement is truly being realized," said Thapan.
"Narrow dirt trails that were once used to transport refugees and military hardware have given way to modern highways carrying electronic goods, exotic fruits and tourists".
