Article 132


Foundation stone marks start of border bridge

WASSANA NANUAM

Narathiwat _ Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his Malaysian counterpart Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday laid the foundation stone of a new bridge across the Kolok border river, marking the start of its construction.

The second Thai-Malaysian bridge, scheduled for completion in 18 months, will link Ban Buketa village in Narathiwat's Waeng district with Bukit Bu-nga in Malaysia's Kelantan state.

The bridge, with bicycle lanes, will be 120 metres long and 15.90m wide. The construction cost of about 60 million baht is to be shared by the two neighbours.

The bridge project is part of the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle Cooperation Scheme, which was initiated in 1994 and signed in 2001.

Mr Abdullah and Mr Thaksin arrived by car at the site in Ban Buketa yesterday in heavy rain after playing golf together in Phuket.

They flew together from the resort island to Narathiwat's Baan Thorn airport and continued from ther! e by helicopter to a local school in Waeng.

The two leaders walked across a temporary metal bridge to the site in Bukit Bu-nga where they viewed a local art performance and later laid the foundation stone on the Malaysian side of the border.

Mr Thaksin said a third bridge across the Kolok was being planned for construction in Narathiwat's Tak Bai district.

He also said the Thai-Malaysian ties had much improved with economic and security cooperation strengthened to tackle problems in Thailand's deep South.

More jobs and better income would help reduce the chance of poor southerners being led astray by lawless elements, he added.