BANGKOK – The initial design of the road alignment connecting the Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex and the Sadao Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex is expected to be completed in November this year.
Senior Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said that Malaysia, through the Public Works Department, is carrying out preliminary work on the site, including survey work, site investigation work, and traffic study.
“The next Malaysia-Thailand expert working group meeting is expected to be held in December for design verification at the border point of the two countries,” he said.
The road alignment linking the Bukit Kayu Hitam ICQS and Sadao CIQ complex in Songkhla are among the infrastructure projects at the Malaysia-Thailand border that Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his Thai counterpart Prayuth Chan o-cha agreed in February to speed up negotiations for.
The development of infrastructure at the Malaysia-Thailand border area will boost trade where almost 50% of Malaysia-Thailand bilateral trade is concentrated.
Malaysia and Thailand hope to achieve US$30 billion (RM132 billion) bilateral trade by 2025.
For the Rantau Panjang-Sg Golok Bridge approved in Rolling Plan 1 of the 12th Malaysia Plan, Fadillah said the value management for this project was carried out from July 18 to 22 in Kota Baru, Kelantan.
“Malaysia-Thailand joint technical meetings for this project was held online twice on December 13 last year and May 26 this year to discuss the bridge design readied by Malaysia.
“After two meetings, the Thai side informed us that they agree with the bridge design concept prepared by Malaysia,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fadillah said the proposal for the construction of the Pengkalan Kubor-Tak Bai Bridge would be submitted to the cabinet for direction, considering that the Thai side had submitted the design for the project to Malaysia in 2016.
“This project requires further discussions with central agencies, ministries, and related agencies such as the Home Ministry and the National Security Council as well as the Kelantan government,” he said. – Bernama, August 26, 2022
