Ex-Thai PM expects sooner start for China-Thailand rail project
- By Chen Boyuan
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E-mail China.org.cn, October 16, 2016
Upon its completion, the Thailand-China high-speed railway will benefit not only the two countries it connects but also the entire ASEAN region, said Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the Democrat Party and former prime minister of Thailand on Oct. 13 in Chongqing, China.
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Former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva takes questions on Oct. 13 from Chinese media on the sidelines of the CPC in Dialogue with the World 2016 held in Chongqing. [Photo by Chen Boyuan/China.org.cn] |
![Former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva takes questions on Oct. 13 from Chinese media on the sidelines of the CPC in Dialogue with the World 2016 held in Chongqing. [Photo by Chen Boyuan/China.org.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20161016/b8aeed990a58196d639d01.jpg "Former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva takes questions on Oct. 13 from Chinese media on the sidelines of the CPC in Dialogue with the World 2016 held in Chongqing. [Photo by Chen Boyuan/China.org.cn]")
Abhisit said that although he does not currently hold a government post, he would nonetheless urge Thailand's administration to facilitate the construction of the international high-speed railway project.
Previously, media reports showed that Abhisit remained suspicious about the railway project. It is said that Abhisit wrote to current Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha earlier this year about his concerns.
But Abhisit took the opportunity to clarify that his suspicion was "why the construction of Thailand-China high-speed railways hasn't been started yet after the long delay."
Last month, a joint committee on the China-Thailand railway confirmed that the project would start construction at the end of this year. The railway is part of the China-proposed Pan-Asia Railway Network as well as the Thai government's plan to upgrade its obsolete railway system. The 860-km railway runs cross Thailand from north to south. It will finally reach Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province after docking with the China-Lao railway, which is being built.
Abhisit is in China to attend the CPC in Dialogue with the World, an annual forum that the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC) holds to strengthen ties between the Chinese ruling party and the rest of the world.
Abhisit said that the railway project will strengthen ties between the two countries.
"No matter what party is ruling Thailand, it should recognize the importance of facilitating coordinated development between both countries," said Abhisit. "Countries along the Mekong River should seek greater connectivity. That means physical connectivity, which is the natural route river, and other forms of connectivity, such as new projects that link us together."
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