Opening of 4th Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge delayed

BANGKOK, June 30 (TNA) - Budget problems among Southeast Asian countries involved in financing the fourth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge have delayed its opening by over a hundred days. Construction of the bridge, worth about 1.49 billion baht, was due to complete on June 10. Officials said the bridge, which links Thailand’s Chiang Khong district with Huay Xai of Laos, would be opened late this year, because border checkpoint systems on both sides were still incomplete. Cross border trade in the area reached a combined value of more than 10 billion baht during the period from last October to June this year. Officials said they expected the figure to rise to 14 billion baht during the current 2013 fiscal year. (TNA)