Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister in Charge of Economic Affairs Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak, who arrived in Sri Lanka on 8th March for a five day visit, has sought Sri Lanka’s cooperation on sea transport between the Port of Colombo and Dawei Deep Sea Port that is under construction in Myanmar.
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid along with Industry Minister Atchaka Sribunruang and a group of businesspeople has met with Minister of Ports, Shipping Arjuna Ranatunga seeking to establish cooperation between the two ports.
The Deputy Prime Minister is hoping to model the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Myanmar after the Port of Colombo, which connects the West and the East and is a gateway to countries like India and Pakistan, ThaiVisa reported.
Further developments of the Port of Colombo, which are no underway will transform Sri Lanka’s port into one of the world’s best sea ports in 2020. Upon completion, the port will be able to accommodate 200 million tons of cargo and generate one billion US dollars per year, making it the 15th largest sea port in the world.
Dawei SEZ is a joint effort between Thailand and Myanmar and the two countries have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2008 to develop the Dawei Special Economic Zone in 2008 at an estimated cost of US$ 8.6 billion.
