Thailand channelling 1.83 billion baht to improve Laos’ R12 highway

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

THAILAND HAS OFFERED to provide a sum of 1.83 billion baht in funding for the planned improvement of R12 highway in middle Laos which could significantly facilitate land-based, cross-border trading among the Greater Mekong Subregion countries.

Deputy government spokesperson Kenika Oonjit confirmed today (Apr. 18) the Thai government has resolved to provide the Lao government with 1.83 billion baht in funding as proposed by the Ministry of Finance for the planned improvement of R12 route between Thakhek township on one side of Khammouane province and Na Pao border checkpoint on the other side of the Lao province which is a direct gateway to Vietnam. Thakhek is a middle Lao township on the banks of the international Mekong River across from Nakhon Phanom in northeastern Thailand.

The R12 improvement project is part of the multinational East-West Economic Corridor development scheme primarily designed to expand and promote cross-border trading between the Mekong Subregion states including Vietnam, China, Laos and Thailand, Kenika said.

The 147-km-long R12 could be used as a short-cut route, compared to the longer R8 and R9 highways under the East-West Economic Corridor scheme where no customs checkpoint will be found along the way.

The project is calculated to save an average time for cargo transportation between Thakhek and Na Pao from as long as 10 hours to only about four hours, she said.

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Traffic on the road in Vientiane. Photo: Alessio Roversi on Unsplash

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