Burma's economic relations with Thailand
Individual Documents
| Title: | | Dawei helps Thailand become auto hub |
| Date of publication: | | 01 August 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) has thrown its full support behind a rail network linking Laem Chabang with Dawei on Myanmar's eastern coast.
The TDRI says the route will support Thailand's ambition of becoming the region's automotive and logistics hub.
However, Narong Pomlaktong, the TDRI's research director of transport and logistics, said the 427-kilometre route should be extended by another 877 km to connect with Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "Bangkok Post" |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 August 2012 |
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| Title: | | Complaint letter to Burma government about value of agricultural land destroyed by Tavoy highway |
| Date of publication: | | 24 July 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "The complaint letter below, signed by 25 local community members, was written in July 2011 and raises villagers' concerns related to the construction of the Kanchanaburi – Tavoy [Dawei] highway linking Thailand and the Tavoy deep sea port. Villagers described concerns that the highway would bisect agricultural land and destroy crops under cultivation worth 3,280,500 kyat (US $3,657). In response to these concerns, local community members formed a group called the 'Village and Public Sustainable Development' to represent villagers' concerns and request compensation." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (96K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.khrg.org/khrg2012/khrg12b69.html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 12 August 2012 |
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| Title: | | ADB: Don't rush Dawei - Sufficient time needed to do it right |
| Date of publication: | | 22 June 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "The capital-intensive Dawei project in Myanmar needs time to ensure adequate preparation, while investment and assurance from relevant governments are also critical, says the Asian Development Bank.
The ADB, which is part of the Greater Mekong Subregion secretariat, has concluded that the GMS's Southern Economic Corridor should be extended to include Dawei on Myanmar's eastern coast, said Arjun Goswami, the bank's director of regional cooperation and operations coordination in Southeast Asia.
But he said this type of large infrastructure project requires time for good preparation and careful planning.
For example, the preparation stage for the Nam Theun 2 hydropower project in Laos lasted 10 years.
"The project needs to complete all feasibility studies including environmental and social impact assessments as well as due diligence. You should not rush into it," Mr Goswami told Euromoney's Greater Mekong Investment Forum..." |
| Author/creator: | | Nareerat Wiriyapong |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "Bangkok Post" |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 23 June 2012 |
|
| Title: | | NO RIGHTS TO KNOW: The Collective Voices of Local People from the Dawei Special Economic Zone |
| Date of publication: | | April 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "...The Dawei Special Economic Zone (Dawei SEZ) will be implemented with a joint venture between Thai
companies and Burmese companies and business cronies close to the regime. Accordingly to the source from
Rangoon (Yangon), one of the regime’s closest cronies, Max Myanmar Company headed by Zaw Zaw, have
already been awarded huge contracts related to the Dawei project along with Italia-Thai company. Zaw Zaw
also accompanied with Burma’s top generals on a tour of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone
in China in 2011...The Tavoy deep seaport and special industries lie in Yebyu township and is between Tavoy town in the south and
Yatana pipeline in the north. 213.7 square meters comprises two town quarters in Yebyu Town, 11 village tracks
in Yebyu Township and one village track in eastern part of project site in Long-lon Township.
In the project site, a population of 30,000 will be directly affected, comprising of 21 communities and about 5,500
families. In order to go ahead with the project the Burmese government authorities and the companies will
move the communities out to make way for the project site. The ethnic Tavoyan people are the majority affected
population in coastal areas and many Karen communities in the eastern part of project site will be seriously
affected by the dam construction and road construction to Thailand.
However, when the Dawei Project Watch’s (DPW) field workers (reporters) traveled to the area and conducted
interviews especially with the Tavoyan and Mon villagers they found that the villagers had no idea what would
happen to them..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Dawei Project Watch |
| Format/size: | | pdf (8.9MB) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs13/N0_Rights_to_Know-Dawei-red.pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 05 June 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Boom or Bust? |
| Date of publication: | | August 2010 |
| Description/subject: | | The Burmese junta is moving ahead with the Myawaddy special economic zone, which may or may not benefit the DKBA...
"The Burmese military regime has long talked about, but never implemented, a special economic zone (SEZ) near the Burma-Thailand border. But the junta’s cabinet recently approved the official creation of the SEZ, along with a plan to increase investment in the project.
This could result in a business boom for Col. Chit Thu and his Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) cronies who control the area surrounding the SEZ and have already established their own commercial empire on the border. But if the project is too successful, it could turn into a bust for Chit Thu, because the junta might want to keep control in the hands of its own generals..." |
| Author/creator: | | Alex Ellgee |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 18, No. 8 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 31 August 2010 |
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| Title: | | Border Industry in Myanmar: Turning the Periphery into the Center of Growth |
| Date of publication: | | October 2007 |
| Description/subject: | | ABSTRACT:
"The Myanmar economy has not been deeply integrated into East Asia's production and distribution networks, despite its location advantages and notably abundant, reasonably well-educated, cheap labor force. Underdeveloped infrastructure, logistics in particular, and an unfavorable business and investment environment hinder it from participating in such networks in East Asia. Service link costs, for connecting production sites in Myanmar and other remote fragmented production blocks or markets, have not fallen sufficiently low to enable firms, including multi-national corporations to reduce total costs, and so the Myanmar economy has failed to attract foreign direct investments.
Border industry offers a solution. The Myanmar economy can be connected to the regional and global economy through its borders with neighboring countries, Thailand in particular, which already have logistic hubs such as deep-sea ports, airports and trunk roads. This paper examines the source of competitiveness of border industry by considering an example of the garment industry located in the Myanmar-Thai border area. Based on such analysis, we recognize the prospects of border industry and propose some policy measures to promote this on Myanmar soil."
Keywords: Myanmar (Burma), Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), regional cooperation, border industry, cross-border trade, migrant workers, logistics, center-periphery
JEL classification: F15, F22, J31, L67 |
| Author/creator: | | Toshihiro Kudo |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Institute of Developing Economies (IDE Discussion Paper 122) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (1.3MB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 22 April 2008 |
|
| Title: | | Why Thailand? |
| Date of publication: | | 2007 |
| Description/subject: | | Energy for Thailand, Tragedy for Burma: Looming Humanitarian Crisis in Burma... Main Expenses of the Military Regime... Main Sources of Regime's Income
The Burma Connection... |
| Author/creator: | | Sann Aung, ANDREW HIGGINS |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Burmese American Democratic Alliance (BADA) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 September 2010 |
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| Title: | | Straining to Bridge the Divide |
| Date of publication: | | February 2006 |
| Description/subject: | | In building a new “Friendship Bridge,” Thailand and Burma hope to consign their troubles to the past and increase cross-border trade...
"Burma’s Foreign Minister Nyan Win and his Thai counterpart, Kantathi Suphamongkhon, shook hands and smiled warmly. The January 22 opening of the second “Friendship Bridge”—connecting the Thai town of Mae Sai and, across the river in Burma, Tachilek—would help promote cross-border contact and “alleviate” the tense relationship between the two countries, they said. It should also provide a massive boost to trade relations between the traditionally wary neighbors..." |
| Author/creator: | | Clive Parker |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 14, No.2 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 May 2006 |
|
| Title: | | The Regional Development Policy of Thailand and Its Economic Cooperation with Neighboring Countries |
| Date of publication: | | July 2005 |
| Description/subject: | | Abstract:
"Thailand has recently strengthened its economic policy toward its neighboring countries in coordination
with domestic regional development. It is widely recognized that economic cooperation with
neighboring countries is essential in preventing the inflow of illegal labor and effectively utilizing labor
and resources through the relocation of production bases. This direction is strengthened by elaborating
the GMS-EC and the ECS (Economic Cooperation Strategy). In addition, economic dependency of the
neighboring countries on Thailand is generally high. In this report, firstly, Thai regional development
policy will be made clear in relation to its economic policy toward neighboring countries as well as the
status quo of the industrial estates. Secondly, Thai policy toward the neighboring countries is examined
referring to the concept of wide-ranging economic zones, regional economic cooperation and special
border economic zones. Thirdly, the paper will discuss how closely the economies between Thailand
and the neighboring countries are related through trade and investment. Lastly, some implications on
Japan's economic cooperation will also be explored."...Keywords: industrial estates, GMS-EC, ECS, economic corridors, border zones |
| Author/creator: | | Takao TSUNEISHI |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Institute of Developing Economies, Discussion Paper No. 32 |
| Format/size: | | pdf (674K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.ide.go.jp/English/Publish/Dp/pdf/032_tsuneishi.pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 16 July 2006 |
|
| Title: | | The Burma-Thailand Gas Debacle |
| Date of publication: | | November 2004 |
| Description/subject: | | "Thailand’s state-controlled gas firm signed up for two expensive gas deals that it later realized it didn’t want. Burma has used the revenue to finance an arms build-up.
In 1989 with the treasury bare, Burma’s ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council, or SLORC, as the junta then called itself, opened up petroleum exploration to foreign oil companies. In the short term Rangoon profited from signing bonuses paid for exploration blocks. If any of the firms struck commercially viable oil or gas, Burma would collect free rents from petroleum exports that would help maintain an unelected, unpopular administration in power..." |
| Author/creator: | | Bruce Hawke |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 12, No. 10 |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 31 January 2005 |
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