Home 
Regions and Countries Regional Cooperation Regional Cooperation Initiatives Greater Mekong Subregion Publications Proceedings of Ministerial, Forum, and Working Group Meetings Fifth Meeting of the Subregional Transport Forum
Fifth Meeting of the Subregional Transport Forum (STF-5)IntroductionThe Fifth Meeting of the Subregional Transport Forum (the Meeting) was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 3 to 4 November 1999. The Meeting was hosted by the Royal Thai Government, with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and the ADB expressed their appreciation to the Royal Thai Government for the hospitality, organization, and assistance provided to the Meeting. The objectives of the Meeting were as follows: (i) to maintain the momentum of cooperation in the transport sector in the GMS; (ii) to advance specific subregional initiatives in the transport sector; and (iii) to reinforce as well as focus the subregional consultative process. The Meeting Agenda, which is attached as Appendix 1, included the following: (i) review of progress of implementation of priority subregional road projects in the GMS; (ii) presentation on the East-West Economic Corridor; (iii) discussion on the proposed Framework for the Facilitation of Cross-Border Movement of Goods and People; and (iv) exchange of views on other priority subregional transport projects. The participants of the Meeting included delegations from the Kingdom of Cambodia, the People's Republic of China (PRC), Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Union of Myanmar, Kingdom of Thailand, and Socialist Republic of Viet Nam. Representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Government of Indonesia, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC, formerly the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund and Japan Export-Import Bank), the Japan External Trade Organization, the Japan Overseas Development Corporation, KfW Resident Mission in Thailand, the Mekong River Commission, the Spanish Commercial Office in Ho Chi Minh City, and the ADB. The list of participants is attached as Appendix 2. The Meeting was chaired by Mr. Tavepatana Tinamas, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Royal Thai Government. Mr. Thomas F. Jones, III, Officer-in-Charge, Transport and Communications Division (West), ADB co-chaired the Meeting. Opening SessionMr. Tavepatana Tinamas welcomed the participants of the Meeting and expressed his appreciation to the representatives of the GMS countries and ADB for their support and interest in the GMS Program. Notwithstanding the concrete progress achieved in the transport sector over the past seven years, the GMS transport program is currently facing a serious challenge of keeping the momentum of cooperation amid an unfavorable investment climate. He underscored the importance of reducing nonphysical barriers to strengthening linkages and stimulating economic growth. The Trilateral Cross-Border Agreement among the Governments of Lao PDR, Thailand, and Socialist Republic of Viet Nam as regards the East-West Transport Corridor will be signed soon. With the expansion of ASEAN's membership to include five of the six GMS countries, close coordination between the GMS and the ASEAN Secretariat is considered important. Finally, on behalf of the delegates of the Meeting, Mr. Tavepatana Tinamas expressed appreciation to the ADB for its support in fostering subregional cooperation in the GMS. In his Opening Statement, Mr. Thomas F. Jones, III, thanked the Royal Thai Government for hosting the Meeting and the excellent arrangements made. He reported on the progress that has been achieved by the Subregional Transport Forum (STF) since its inception in April 1994. In terms of project implementation, high priority subregional road projects, such as the Phnom Penh - Ho Chi Minh City Highway Project and the East-West Transport Corridor, are being implemented with assistance from the ADB and other donors. In the area of addressing "software" issues, progress has been made in forging agreements between and among countries involved in priority subregional road projects to reduce nonphysical barriers to the cross-border movement of goods and people. With many of the priority subregional projects entering the implementation stage and given the financial constraints brought about by the economic crisis, more strategic focus is needed in order to achieve immediate results with maximum benefits. The development of economic corridors, which will link investments in the transportation infrastructure to production, trade, and investment potentials, would ensure that economic benefits of such investments are maximized. To foster complementarity and avoid duplication, he emphasized the need for coordination among the various sectors in the GMS Program as well as with other agencies involved in the development of the transport infrastructure in the GMS. Finally, he expressed confidence that the cooperative spirit, which has characterized the GMS Program, will ensure the success of the Meeting and the work program of the STF. Country Presentations on Ongoing Transport Development ActivitiesThe GMS delegations presented their respective country reports that provided an update of ongoing development activities in the road, rail, water transport, and air transport subsectors. Special emphasis was given to those national projects that are linked to the priority subregional transport projects under the GMS Program. Mr. Yit Bunna, Director of Public Works Research Centre, Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, Royal Government of Cambodia, underscored the importance of rehabilitating the main national roads in Cambodia to the development of domestic and international trade, and tourism. Of the total road network in Cambodia of 4,165 km, the following national roads form part of GMS priority road projects: (i) Poipet - Phnom Penh - Bavet (Roads 1 and 5) for the Bangkok - Phnom Penh - Ho Chi Minh City - Vung Tau Road Project (R1); (ii) Veun Kham - Phnom Penh - Sihanoukville (Road 7 and part of Roads 6 and 4) for the Southern Lao PDR - Sihanoukville Road Project (R6); and (iii) Road 48 and part of Roads 4, 3, and 33 for the Southern Coastal Corridor Project (R10). For 2000-2005, loan financing from the ADB is expected for the rehabilitation of 327 km of R1 and 155 km of R6 in Cambodia. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is expected to finance rehabilitation of about 50 km of R6. High priority is also placed in the rehabilitation of existing railway infrastructure, particularly the railway line linking Phnom Penh to Poipet and the line linking Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, with a view to integrating with the Trans-Asian Rail Network. In the water transport subsector, the Phnom Penh port, which was rehabilitated in 1997 through a grant from the Government of Japan, has a current capacity of 600,000 tons per year. Phase I of the rehabilitation of Sihanoukville port, which will be financed by a $36 million loan from the JBIC, will commence in the middle of 2000 and is expected to be completed in 2003. Mr. Dong Xuebo, Deputy Director General, Planning Department, Ministry of Communications, PRC, reaffirmed the PRC Government's willingness to do its share in enhancing cooperation in the transport sector among the GMS countries. Regional and subregional economic cooperation will play a more active role in promoting national economic development of all countries as they become increasingly interdependent in the 21st century. In the roads subsector, expressways in Yunnan Province from Chuxiong to Dali is open to traffic. The expressways from Yuxi to Yuanjiang, and from Dali to Baoshan are under construction. Construction of the expressway from Yuanjiang to Mohei, which is being financed by a $250 million loan from ADB, is in the process of public bidding. In the water transport subsector, the section of the inland navigable waterways in Yunnan Province from Jinghong to the PRC-Lao PDR border has reached a technical standard of above grade 6. In the rail subsector, the development of railway from Kunming to Hekou has a potential to link with the railway system in Viet Nam. Railways in Yunnan Province have been constructed, such as the Kunming - Yuxi line, the Guangtong-Dali line, and the Nanning-Kunming line. In the air transport subsector, nine airports have been constructed in Yunnan Province to service both domestic and international flights. Yunnan Airlines covers over 60 domestic and international routes. Mr. Math Sounmala, Director General of Cabinet, Ministry of Communications, Transport, Posts, and Construction, Lao PDR, reported on the progress of portions in Lao PDR of priority subregional transport projects that are proceeding toward implementation. On the East-West Transport Corridor Project, financing for the Lao PDR portion, including the second bridge across the Mekong River connecting Mukdahan in Thailand to Savannakhet in Lao PDR, has been secured, and completion is expected by 2003. On the Chiang Rai-Kunming Road Project via Lao PDR, there has been no progress since the Fourth Meeting of the STF in 1998 on the Lao portion, specifically from Houei Sai via Luang Namtha to Boten, which is part of the least developed area of the country. On the Southern Lao PDR - Sihanoukville Road Project, construction of a portion of about 200 km within Lao PDR is ongoing under the auspices of a loan from ADB, and is expected to be completed by March 2000. Included in this project is an ongoing construction of a bridge across the Mekong River within the Lao territory financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). On the Upper Lancang/Mekong River Navigation Improvement Project, the agreement on water transport among the PRC, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Thailand is progressing and is expected to be signed by the concerned Governments. In the area of air transport, upgrading and construction of airports in Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Savannakhet, and Champassak are either ongoing or completed with the assistance of the ADB, JICA, OPEC, and the Royal Thai Government. In the area of addressing cross-border issues, the Governments of Lao PDR and Cambodia have signed a bilateral land transport agreement that would allow transit traffic and access to a seaport in Sihanoukville between the two countries. U Tet Tun Kyaw, Director, Transport Planning Department, Ministry of Rail Transportation, Union of Myanmar, presented the developments in the rail transport sector in Myanmar and the participation of the private sector in the rehabilitation of locomotives and upgrading of passenger coaches. Myanmar is actively involved in the preparation for the Trans-Asian Railways and the proposed Singapore - Kunming Rail Link. In the road subsector, the Tachilek - Kentung - Mongla road that forms part of the Chiang Rai - Kunming Road Project via Myanmar, is being upgraded. The Lashio - Muse road that forms part of the Kunming - Lashio Road Project, is in good condition and is being maintained by the Asia World, Co., under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme. The Thibaw - Lashio portion in Myanmar of the Lashio - Loilem - Kentung Road Improvement Project is in good condition and is being maintained by the Diamond Palace, Co., Ltd. under a BOT scheme. The Myanmar Government has encouraged private sector participation in the development of the transport infrastructure. In the air transport subsector, the Myanmar Department of Civil Aviation has concluded 41 air services agreements with 39 countries. Construction of the Mandalay International Airport has recently been completed, allowing it to accommodate up to 747-400 type aircraft. Mr. Solos Temiyabutra, Director, Bureau of Highways Construction, Department of Highways, Kingdom of Thailand, presented detailed developments of national transport projects that are linked to GMS priority subregional projects. On the Bangkok - Phnom Penh - Ho Chi Minh City - Vung Tau Road Project, portions of two alignments from Phanom Sarakham to the Cambodian border are programmed for expansion to four-lane and two-lane highways by 2007 and 2001, respectively. Detailed engineering of a road in the Thai portion of the East-West Transport Corridor is underway, while the construction of the second bridge across the Mekong River to Lao PDR will be financed by the JBIC on the basis of equal cost-sharing with Lao PDR. Construction of a route from Chiang Rai through Ban Ta Talat to Amphor Chiang Khong, which forms part of the Chiang Rai - Kunming Road Project via Lao PDR, is expected to be part of the Ninth National Development Plan (2002-2006) of the Royal Thai Government. The portion in Thailand up to the Myanmar border of the Chiang Rai - Kunming Road Project via Myanmar has been upgraded to four-lane standard. In the rail subsector, the construction of a railway line from the middle of the first bridge across the Mekong River to the new Nong Khai station is expected to be completed by mid-2000. Railway lines that would link Thailand with Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Yunnan Province are in varying stages of development: from feasibility to detailed engineering design and environmental impact assessment. In the water transport subsector, detailed engineering of the Chiang Saen and Chiang Khong ports is under way. In the air transport subsector, with the objective of establishing new subregional air routes in the GMS, air transport service between Bangkok and Da Nang commenced on 31 October 1999. Mr. Ly Huy Tuan, Deputy Director of Legal Department, Ministry of Transport, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, emphasized the importance of the Vietnamese portion of the Bangkok - Phnom Penh - Ho Chi Minh City - Vung Tau Road Project as it forms part of the Trans Asia road network and connects with the North - South National Highway No. 1 connecting to the Viet Nam - PRC border. Total cost of the Vietnamese portion consisting of 80 km is $140 million, of which $100 million is financed by a loan from the ADB. Preparation of the relevant protocols for facilitation of cross-border transport between Cambodia and Viet Nam is proceeding, and resettlement of affected households in Viet Nam is under way. The Vietnamese Government has upgraded the road section from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau, and is about to begin the construction of the section from Ho Chi Minh City to Moc Bai. On the East-West Transport Corridor Project, details of the components of the Vietnamese portion of the project are as follows: (i) improvement of road section from Lao border to Dong Ha to be partly financed by a proposed $25 million loan from ADB; (ii) construction of bypass connecting the corridor road and National Highway No. 1; and (iii) improvement and construction of bridges on the road section in Viet Nam. The road section from Dong Ha to Da Nang is financed by a loan from the World Bank, while the construction of the Hai Van tunnel and improvement of Da Nang seaport is financed by loan from the JBIC. On the Kunming - Haiphong Transport Corridor Project, construction of the road from Hanoi to Haiphong has been completed. In addition to these, the Ministry of Transport of Viet Nam has undertaken improvement and upgrading of a number of important bridges and roads. Status of Subregional Transport ActivitiesMr. Thomas F. Jones, III, ADB, reported on the status of four high priority subregional road projects, namely: (i) the Phnom Penh-Ho Chi Minh City Road Project; (ii) the East-West Transport Corridor Project; (iii) Chiang Rai-Kunming Road Improvement Project; and (iv) Kunming-Haiphong Transport Corridor Project. The status of these four road projects is presented in Appendix 3. Inception Meeting of the Trade Facilitation Working GroupMr. David Husband, Senior Advisor, GMS Unit, ADB, presented the Summary of Discussions of the Inception Meeting of the Trade Facilitation Working Group (TFWG) held in Bangkok, Thailand on 1-2 November 1999. The Eighth Ministerial Conference held in Manila in October 1998 endorsed the establishment of the TFWG, the rationale of which includes the following: (i) the need to establish quickly an attractive trade environment in the GMS, especially to address the challenges arising from the economic crisis; (ii) the need to ensure that the investment in physical infrastructure has clear economic payoffs; and (iii) the attractiveness of "soft" infrastructure initiatives, such as trade facilitation as "high impact/low cost" in times of significant budget constraints. The TFWG has identified two types of facilitation issues, namely: (i) issues that are transborder in nature; and (ii) issues that are within each country's purview, but their resolution would have implications on the rest of the GMS countries. On the basis of these issues, the TFWG has adopted the following prioritized list of nine projects for implementation: (i) Establishment of National Institutional Arrangements for Trade Facilitation in the GMS; (ii) National Studies and Seminars on Regulatory, Procedural, and Documentation Systems for International Trade; (iii) Pilot Testing Trade Facilitation Arrangements in the GMS Countries; (iv) Customs Cooperation in the GMS; (v) Development of Common Information Systems Across the GMS Countries, and Trade Facilitation E-Communications Systems in the GMS; (vi) "Sub-regionalization" of Bilateral Agreements in the GMS; (vii) Establishment of a Sub-Group on Trade in Agricultural Products; (viii) Establishment of a Dispute Settlement Mechanism for GMS Trade; and (ix) Establishment of a Payments System for GMS Trade. The TFWG has agreed to proceed with immediate implementation of the first four of these projects, which are already receiving support from ESCAP (Projects (i) and (ii)), and ADB (Projects (iii) and (iv)) under their ongoing activities. The remaining five projects will be taken up at a later stage, subject to the availability of resources. Economic Corridor DevelopmentMr. George Abonyi, Senior Advisor, GMS Unit, ADB, presented the concept of economic corridors. The Eighth Ministerial Conference held in Manila in October 1998 approved the "economic corridor" concept as a priority initiative under the GMS Program. Viewed as a strategy to spur economic recovery in the GMS, the economic corridor would link infrastructure investments with production restructuring, and trade expansion in order to strengthen regional activity and competitiveness. Economic corridors are aimed at attracting and sustaining interest in both infrastructure project finance and direct investments in tangible and clear business opportunities in the GMS. Critical success factors of an economic corridor include technical, economic, financial and commercial feasibility as well as political commitment of the concerned governments. In addition to identifying the geographic scope of the economic corridor and assessing existing and potential economic activities along the corridor, the development of an economic corridor involves the assessment of social, environmental, and human resource development implications as well as the views of the private sector to investing in such corridors, including the critical success factors to attracting such investment. As endorsed by the Eighth Ministerial Conference, the next step is to develop the East - West Transport Corridor into an East - West Economic Corridor as a pilot project, including possible expansion further into the west toward Myanmar. The ADB is expected to approve by mid-November 1999 a technical assistance (TA) to support a Pre-Investment Study for the development of the East-West Economic Corridor. Implementation arrangements of the TA involve a pre-investment study by a team of consultants under the direction of ADB's GMS Unit, and follow-up work to proceed in parallel with the Study as results become available while the Study is in progress. It was agreed that the development of economic corridors would enhance the economic feasibility of infrastructure projects, and, in the case of the proposed East - West Economic Corridor, contribute to the economic development of the affected areas in Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The Meeting urged the immediate implementation of the Pre-Investment Study for the East - West Economic Corridor. The extension of the East - West Economic Corridor westward toward Myanmar, and the identification of other possible corridors in the GMS was encouraged. To get an idea of the benefits of economic corridors, it was suggested that economic corridors that have been developed elsewhere in the world be studied. Cross-Border Movement of Goods and PeopleMr. Bruce Winston and Mr. Kristiaan Bernauw, Consultants to ADB, presented the results of their work on Bank TA No. 5749-REG: Cross-Border Movement of Goods and People in the GMS, commenced in January 1998 and completed in July 1999. The main output of this TA was a draft Framework for the Facilitation of the Cross-Border Movement of Goods and People in the GMS; as mandated by the Third Meeting of the Subregional Transport Forum held in Kunming in December 1996, this draft Framework is to serve as a model for bilateral and multilateral initiatives in the subregion for minimizing nonphysical impediments to cross-border movement. In their initial remarks concerning T.A. 5749-REG, the consultants addressed the need for the Framework and inputs received from the GMS countries and international organizations. Next, the consultants offered a part-by-part, and article-by-article explanation, setting out the logic and content of the Framework in some detail. The parts discussed included general provisions, facilitation of border crossing formalities, cross-border movement of persons, cross-border movement of goods, requirements of road vehicles, exchange of commercial traffic rights, rail transport, infrastructure, institutional framework, miscellaneous provisions, and final provisions. Notably, this Framework served as the basis for the Trilateral Cross-Border Agreement among Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam, to be signed soon. The consultants also discussed Bank T.A. No. 5850-REG, Facilitating the Cross-Border Movement of Goods and People in the GMS, which commenced in October 1999 and is scheduled to continue until March 2001. It is envisaged that this TA will prepare cross-border land transport annexes and protocols for bilateral, trilateral, quadrilateral agreements, as well as for the GMS. A number of meetings will be held among the concerned countries to finalize the agreements, annexes, and protocols. The following issues/comments were raised at the Meeting on the draft Framework for the Facilitation of Cross-Border Transport of Goods and People: (i) there is need to ensure consistency between agreements and associated annexes and protocols to be forged between and among GMS countries with existing Agreements and ongoing activities of ASEAN, particularly if the concerned GMS countries are also members of ASEAN; (ii) provisions in the draft Framework to facilitate the cross-border movement of people appear limited; (iii) Article 46 of the draft Framework which states that the present Agreement will override existing international instruments only in instances in which it facilitates the cross-border movement of goods and people to a greater extent may result in inconsistencies with cross-border agreements that are already in place between and among GMS countries; and (iv) Article 8 of the draft Framework on Phytosanitary and Veterinary Inspection does not address the possibility of cross-border transmission of communicable diseases, such as HIV/AIDS. Mr. Winston and Mr. Bernauw replied to the issues mentioned above as follows: (i) on item (ii) above, the Consultants noted that they have already drafted an Article covering the movement of people more comprehensively (for the Agreement in connection with the East-West Transport Corridor Project), as support for a more liberal approach to this issue emerged in the GMS in the last year, i.e., after completion of the draft Framework; (ii) on item (iii) above, implicit amendments of existing agreements would occur only if agreed by all the parties, and the effect would be to promote a freer flow of goods and people across borders; and (iii) on item (iv) above, the revised Article on the Cross-Border Movement of Persons that has already been drafted follows the approach of the International Health Regulations of the World Health Organization, of which all GMS countries are members. Other Priority Subregional Transport ProjectsThe Meeting reviewed the lower-tier priority subregional transport projects with a view to (i) assessing whether the agreed-upon prioritization of the such projects has changed; and (ii) identifying new priority subregional transport activities and initiatives in the four subsectors. The Meeting agreed to maintain the list of priority subregional transport projects and their prioritization. The Cambodian delegation reaffirmed the importance of R10: Southern Coastal Corridor Project, and reiterated their earlier request for an ADB TA to conduct a feasibility study on the project. Work Program and Next StepsThe Meeting agreed on the following work program and next steps for the STF: (i) continued support from the GMS countries on the formulation of the Framework for the Facilitation of Cross-Border Movement of Goods and People and the development of associated Annexes and Protocols; (ii) assistance in the Pre-Investment Study on the East-West Economic Corridor and identification of other possible economic corridors for the GMS; (iii) preparation for the Ninth Ministerial Conference to be held in Manila in December 1999; (iv) coordination with other sectoral forums and working groups under the GMS Program, including the Trade Facilitation Working Group; (v) continued coordination and regular consultation with international organizations, e.g., ASEAN and ESCAP, to share information and ensure consistency among initiatives; and (vi) development of a system to monitor progress of transport initiatives in the GMS, which will require the designation of officials in the relevant agencies for each transport subsector to serve as contact points. The Meeting agreed that the Sixth Meeting of the STF will be held in Viet Nam in 2000. Statements from ObserversMr. Honorio R. Vitasa, Assistant Director, Bureau of Trade, Industry, and Services, ASEAN Secretariat, reported on ASEAN's major initiatives in the transport sector. Cooperation in the ASEAN transport sector is entering a new phase in pursuit of the priorities in the Hanoi Plan of Action and the ASEAN Vision 2020. The 5th ASEAN Transport Ministers Meeting held in Hanoi, Viet Nam in September 1999 adopted the ASEAN Transport Cooperation Framework Plan and the Successor Plan of Action in Transport 1999-2004. This development framework serves as the guiding document to further advance inter-connectivity and accessibility, as well as provide the regulatory environment that will promote modal complementation and competition in the ASEAN region. There exist mutually beneficial areas where both the ADB and ASEAN can achieve greater synergy by closer cooperation and coordination of activities, for example, in common concerns of transport facilitation of goods, the build-up of transport infrastructure and linkages, and in strengthening institutional support for the transit agreements. He also circulated to the Meeting a paper on the updated developments in the ASEAN cooperation in the transport sector. Mr. Susumu Ono, Chief Coordinator, AEM-MITI Economic and Industrial Cooperation Committee (AMEICC), Japan Overseas Development Corporation, noted the need for coordination between ADB and AMEICC in their work in the GMS to avoid duplication in their common areas of support. Based on the agreements reached at the 2nd AMEICC Meeting held on 2 October 1999 in Singapore, the development of soft infrastructure, such as human resources development and formulation of legal institutional frameworks, is considered an important area of assistance in the region. Mr. Andreas Klocke, Director, KfW Resident Mission in Thailand, congratulated the GMS countries and ADB for the progress made over the last few years in cooperation in the transport sector, and in developing important route networks in the Subregion. KfW has been a supporter of the GMS Program, having sponsored a private sector forum on the GMS in 1996. He expressed KfW's strong commitment to the GMS countries and offered its support through their ongoing process of bilateral dialogue. Capt. Lieven Geerinck, Officer-in-Charge, River Works and Transport Unit, Resources Development Division, Mekong River Commission (MRC), noted the long-standing cooperation between ADB and MRC in the GMS Program. He noted the many transport-related projects sponsored under the MRC, especially navigation aids and other initiatives to improve water transportation services in the Subregion. As in the case of the GMS Program, the MRC is giving increasing attention to soft infrastructure related issues. The MRC is endeavoring to develop a Comprehensive Mekong Navigation Agreement. Mr. Fernando Mier Durante, Economic and Commercial Counsellor, Embassy of Spain in Viet Nam, expressed appreciation for the significant progress made under the GMS transport sector cooperation. He offered the assistance of the Spanish Government in the development of projects through its bilateral official development assistance programs with the countries of the Subregion and cofinancing with the ADB. Mr. John Moon, Chief of General Transport, Communications and Coordination Section, Transport, Communications, Tourism, and Infrastructure Development Division, ESCAP, congratulated the GMS countries and ADB for their comprehensive work in the formulation of cross-border agreements for the six countries. He informed the Meeting about the ESCAP Committee on Transport Meeting to be held on 24-26 November 1999 in Bangkok, Thailand. AcknowledgementsThe GMS countries and the ADB expressed their sincere thanks and appreciation to the Royal Thai Government, in particular, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, for the wonderful hospitality, excellent arrangements, and tremendous assistance provided to the Fifth Meeting of the Subregional Transport Forum.
|
© 2008 Asian Development Bank Privacy | Terms of Use |
 Top of page |
Back