Thailand and Myanmar have agreed to establish a bilateral committee on Thai and Myanmar special economic zone (SEZ) in a bid to build at least six such zones along the Thai-Myanmar border.
At a meeting between the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC), the Board of Trade of Thailand and the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) it was agreed that setting up SEZs would help promote trade, industry and tourism growth ahead of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015.
A master plan will be prepared in this regard, TCC said.
For Thailand, the SEZs will cover its three provinces: Mae Sot, Mae Ramat and Phop Phra in Tak, Sing Khron in Kanchanaburi, and Mae Sai in Chiang Rai. Myanmar plans to set up such zones in Myawaddy, Pha An and Mawlamyine.
A special team comprising Thai businesspeople recently visited the Thai side of the border point in Tak province of Thailand to collect firsthand information for use in the consideration of the SEZ project, Thailand’s national news agency reported.
Isara Wongkusolkij, chairman of TCC, led the team, which also visited the Myanmar side of the border in Myawaddy and met the chamber’s Myanmar counterparts.
TCC also held a Thai-Myanmar Trade Fair during 15-19 October at OTOP Center in Mae Sot district, aiming to boost bilateral trade volume and economic cooperation between entrepreneurs of the two countries.
