Thai Cabinet nods for SEC development

BANGKOK, January 23 (TNA) - The Thai Cabinet has approved a concrete move on the development of the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC) Project, aimed to stimulate the industrial and tourism expansion in the Thai South. Natthaporn Jatusripitak, an advisor to the Minister Attached to the Prime Minister's Office, told journalists that during a weekly meeting at Bangkok's Government House on January 21, the Thai Cabinet approved a feasibility study on the SEC development, ranging from Chumphon to Ranong Provinces and from Surat Thani to Nakhon Si Thammarat Provinces. Natthaporn said the Thai Cabinet's decision was in response to a proposal on the SEC development for 2019-2022, submitted by the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), under which a total of 116 development projects, worth about 106.79 billion baht, will be implemented in due course in the wake of the feasibility study, if approved. The advisor stated that the development of the SEC Project has been set in four areas, including the development of a new western-sided trade gateway, a new tourism gateway that connects coastal resort areas along the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea together and a new bio-industrial base for the production of high value-added processed Thai farm products, along with the conservation of natural resources, the regional cultural promotion and the development of lively cities in the Thai South. According to the advisor, eight development plans, worth about 2.68 billion baht, have been set to first implemented under the SEC Project, five of which, worth about 488 million baht, will be urgently proceeded, namely the development of Koh Phayam and a mangrove forest in Ranong. Earlier on August 21, 2018, the Thai Cabinet initially endorsed at its mobile meeting in Chumphon the development of the SEC Project to become a new modeled economic zone and growth hub where such mega-infrastructure plans as a double-rail train system, a motorway, lively cities with tourist attractions and an airport to serve about 10 million international passengers annually will be developed, expected to further bring about domestic industrial development worth at least 200 billion baht, welcome additional 1.2 million international visitors to the Thai South annually and stimulate the gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the southern Thai region by at least 5 per cent annually over the first 10 years. Besides, the development of the SEC Project is aimed to promote and support cross-border trade between coastal areas along the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea and trading partners in South Asia through India, as shipments of goods will then be shortened to 4-7 days, from 9-15 days currently. (TNA)