Work to start on Laos-China railway

Work to start on Laos-China railway in 2013: media

File picture. Laotian boys ride on a motorcycle with a sidecar attached in Luang Prabang, Laos. (AFP/Roslan Rahman)

BANGKOK: Construction of a $7 billion train link between Laos and China will go ahead next year after a Chinese bank threw a financial lifeline to the stalled project, state media reported Friday.

The two countries had initially agreed to jointly fund the line, which will run from the Chinese border to Vientiane, but Beijing pulled out over reported concerns about profitability.

Chinese state-run EXIM bank has now stepped in with a loan offer for Laos, an official from the public works and transport ministry told the Vientiane Times, adding the pair are "now ironing out the details" of the loan.

Another official at the ministry confirmed to AFP that discussions on the details of the loan were underway along with consultations over the route.

"The work has not started yet, but we plan to finish it in five years," said the official, who did not want to be named.

A Chinese firm will carry out the construction, the Vientiane Times report said, describing the project as the biggest ever infrastructure scheme undertaken by Laos.

It will be a link in a vast network set to connect the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming with Singapore.

Landlocked Laos, one of Asia's poorest countries, has no railway apart from a short stretch of track near the Thai border.

Under current plans the new Boten-Vientiane line will be 420 kilometres (260 miles) long and require 76 tunnels and around 150 bridges to be built as it carves through Laos, the report said.

Passenger trains, which will run at up to 160 kilometres an hour, will stop at 31 stations once work is complete, it added.

The scheme has stirred controversy in Laos with the proposed route likely to force thousands of people to move from their homes.

Construction on a separate $5 billion 220-kilometre line linking southern Laos and Vietnam is set to start in January, the Vientiane Times reported Thursday, after financing from a Malaysian investor was secured.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

Laos to build railway to Vietnam

Laos to build railway to Vietnam

Construction work on a US$5 billion (195 billion baht) railway linking Laos to Vietnam is scheduled to begin in January, media reported on Wednesday.

Giant Consolidated Limited, the Malaysian investor in the project, expects to begin construction in January on the 220-kilometre-long track linking Savannakhet to Laobao on the Lao-Vietnamese border and complete it within four years, the Socio-Economic newspaper reported.

The contract to build and operate the railway was signed on Nov 5. Giant Consolidated Limited was granted a 50-year concession to operate the rail link, which will form part of the East-West Corridor linking Malaysia to Thailand, Laos and Vietnam by rail.

The railway scheme, to accommodate trains with top speeds of 120 kilometres per hour, will require the construction of 11 stations and 14 bridges, the newspaper said.

Last month, the National Assembly approved the government's plan to build a $7 billion railway linking Vientiane to the Lao-China border. The project is expected to receive a loan from the Chinese Export Bank.

~News courtesy of Bangkok Post~

New Bangkok bus lines to Laos

New Bangkok bus lines to Laos

The state-run Transport Co Ltd will offer direct coach services between Bangkok and Vientiane and Bangkok to Pakse in Laos under a policy to boost transport networks with neighbouring countries.

Each destination will have one service a day using standard airconditioned buses and the one-way fare for both routes is 900 baht. The route from Bangkok to Vientiane will take 11 hours, leaving Bangkok at 8pm while the bus for Pakse leaves at 9pm and will take 13 hours.

Wuthichart Kalayanamit, president of Transport Co, said the two routes are an extension of two other routes while it has another seven routes running between Thailand and Laos such as Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang and Khon Kaen to Vientiane.

There are currently around 20,000 passengers travelling on the existing routes a year but the company expects 200,000 a year using intra-country service if there are more connections with other neighbouring countries. It plans two more routes to Cambodia this year 2012 and one to Myanmar in early 2013.

~News courtesy of Bangkok Post~

Train project right on track

Train project right on track

A high-speed train project linking southern China, Laos and Thailand could start in 2015 in time for the launch of the Asean Economic Community.

Chamaiporn Chuecharoen, the commercial counsellor for Thailand in Kunming, China, said the project envisions a train capable of speeds of 200 kilometres per hour running from Yunnan province to Laos and Nong Khai in northeastern Thailand.

Passengers and cargo from Nong Khai could then travel to Bangkok and Rayong as well as south to Malaysia and Singapore.

Other high-speed rail links are planned from China to Myanmar and Cambodia.

Work on the US$7-billion China-Laos route is expected to begin shortly.

The project will be financed by the Export-Import Bank of China under a 30-year loan, with China responsible for construction.

The plan estimates revenue in the first year of operations starting at $95 million, eventually reaching as much as $16.3 billion a year in 50 years.

Plans to build a train link from Kunming to Singapore were initiated by Chinese and Asean leaders at the seventh Asean summit in 2001. Construction on the project, ultimately covering 3,900 km, began last year with the China-Vientiane link, with the entire line expected to be fully complete in 2020.

Work on the Kunming-Yangon line and a larger project connecting Kunming with Vientiane, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore is expected to start later this year.

Chinese authorities also are considering a separate high-speed route that would join Kunming and Bangkok with Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh.

Ms Chamaiporn said the link between China, Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar would have tremendous economic benefits for Southeast Asia and the Greater Mekong region.

Planning for high-speed rail lines in Thailand is already under way, with funding to come from a proposed 2-trillion-baht investment programme dedicated to new infrastructure projects over the next seven years.

Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong said the government is planning four high-speed rail lines to support trade and tourism within the country.

The investment programme, now being drafted for parliamentary review, would focus on transport infrastructure including new railways, roads, airports and port improvements, he said.

The four high-speed rail lines are Bangkok-Nong Khai-Vientiane; Bangkok-Ayutthaya-Chiang Mai; Bangkok to Hua Hin; and an expansion of the Airport Rail Link in Bangkok to Chon Buri, Pattaya and Rayong.

Mr Kittiratt said the Bangkok-Chiang Mai link should begin with the Bangkok-Ayutthaya leg due to Ayutthaya's importance as a tourism destination and a government proposal to push the former capital as a host of the World Expo.

The line from Bangkok to the Eastern Seaboard would include a standard-gauge rail link from Suvarnabhumi airport to Don Mueang airport, he said.

Existing rail networks in the South will be expanded to link Hat Yai and Yala with Malaysia.

Mr Kittiratt said the infrastructure bill would see investment averaging 300 billion baht a year over the next seven years, while each project must be justifiable in terms of its economic benefits to the country.

"Even after parliament approves the 2-trillion-baht bill, it doesn't mean there will be a blank cheque. Each project must pass scrutiny by the National Economic and Social Development Board," he said. 

~News courtesy of Bangkok Post~

泰民抗议寮国建猜亚武里水坝

泰民抗议寮国建猜亚武里水坝

第9届亚欧峰会议昨天（5日）起在寮国永珍市举行，在该市湄公河对岸的泰国廊开府诗清迈县，有200多名民众使用船双在河中央举行水上集会示威，诉求停建寮国境内的湄公河猜亚武里水坝。

据悉，参与昨天集会抗议活动的民间组织有来自湄公河流域7府，以及东北部其他8个府的代表，人数达200多人。示威者在永珍市上游的湄公河段举行了为湄公河「招魂」的仪式，并迎请象征保护河流的印度教恒河女神，表达保护湄公河之意愿。随后，示威者还在湄公河里漂流50艘小船，让其顺流而下，船身上张贴着反对建设猜亚武里水坝的标语。小船漂流到离永珍市附近的河岸，来自寮国的边防军队出动两艘快艇实施拦截，以防止这些小船漂流到位于河岸的各国首脑下榻酒店附近。

东北部湄公河流域7府组织秘书长易提蓬表示，在亚欧首脑会议召开之际，东北部民间组织呼吁各国首脑关注湄公河生态危机。他说，在湄公河下部建设的猜亚武里水坝，目前进展已经很快，这一工程，泰国电力局还和寮国方签署了电力采购合同，同时这一项目也遭到柬埔寨政府以及越南方面的强烈反对。

～以上新闻转载自世界日报～

寮国亚欧峰会结束

亚欧峰会结束‧紧张缓解无期‧中日没进行“走廊外交”

日本外相玄叶光一郎在週二的新闻发佈会上承认，两国立场存在差异，对立局面將长期持续。

温家宝週二出席早上的会议后，已乘坐飞机回国。野田佳彦早前表示，不排除跟温家宝进行“走廊外交”，但两日的会议，始终无实现野田预期的“走廊外交”。

晚宴期间两人没交谈

寮国国家主席朱马利週一晚设宴款待与会各国领导人。温家宝与野田佳彦都出席晚宴，期间两人没有交谈。野田向记者表示，没有安排跟温家宝正式会谈，不清楚二人是否有机会“偶然”交谈。日本媒体认为，野田的言论是表达期待与温家宝进行“走廊外交”。

今年9月，海参威举行亚太峰会期间，中国国家主席胡锦涛与野田佳彦举行15分钟“走廊外交”，但野田没有理会胡锦涛就钓鱼岛问题提出警告，翌日隨即宣佈钓鱼台“国有化”计划。

在今届亚欧峰会首日会议上，温家宝没有谈及钓鱼岛问题，只讲及经济问题。

温家宝在主旨发言中表示，中国完全有信心实现更长时期、更高水平、更好质量的发展，並认为国际金融危机並未结束。 今次是日本政府声称把钓鱼岛“国有化”后，两国领导人首次出席同一场合。

日財长与周小川站著交流数分钟

另一方面，在墨西哥出席20国集团（G20）会议的日本財长城岛光力表示，曾经与人民银行行长周小川短暂交谈。 城岛光力与周小川在会场內站著进行数分钟交谈。城岛光力表示，两人没有深入交换意见，只表示希望在可能的领域下加强两国合作。但他认为，即使只是打招呼，也具一定意义。

这是日本將钓鱼岛“国有化”后，日本財长与中国金融机构领导人的首次接触。

（星洲日报／国际）

Laos to start construction of mega dam

Laos to start construction of mega dam

Laos on Monday said it would start construction of a controversial multi-billion dollar dam this week, after adapting the design to calm environmental concerns from neighbouring nations.

"After two years of preparation the Laos government will have a ground breaking ceremony on November 7 and will then start working on the dam itself in the Mekong river this week," deputy energy minister Viraphonh Viravong told AFP.

The $3.8 billion hydroelectric project at Xayaburi, led by Thai group CH Karnchang, has sharply divided the four Mekong nations - Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand - who rely on the river system for fish and irrigation.

Building work on the main project has been stalled for about 18 months over concerns over its environmental impact.

Viraphonh said some aspects of the dam's design had been changed to "reassure neighbouring countries", but he insisted that objections would not derail plans to finish the project by the end of 2019.

The mooted 1,260 megawatt dam, the first of 11 on the key waterway, has become a symbol of the potential risks of hydropower projects in the region.

Communist Laos, one the world's most under-developed nations, believes the dam will help it become "the battery of Southeast Asia" by selling electricity to its richer neighbours.

Thailand has agreed to buy most of the electricity generated by the project, but Cambodia and Vietnam fear the dam could decimate their farming and fishing industries.

Environmentalists say the dam would be disastrous for the 60 million people who depend on the river for transportation, food and economy.

They fear Mekong fish species will become endangered as vital nutrients are trapped and dozens of species are prevented from swimming upstream to mating grounds.

In July, Viraphonh told state-run Vientiane Times that it would be "one of the most transparent and modern dams in the world", but promised that construction would not go ahead until fears from neighbouring countries had been assuaged.

He said changes to the project would address the two major issues - fish migration and sediment flow - by including a passage to allow 85 percent of fish to travel along the river and a "flushing system" to prevent sediment build up.

Fifty Thai villagers representing communities along the Mekong river submitted a lawsuit to a court in Bangkok in August seeking to prevent their country buying power from the hydropower project.

Thailand's Administrative Court has yet rule on the suit, which is against the state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, the energy ministry and the Thai cabinet.

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~

US urges Laos on mega dam concerns

US urges Laos to address mega dam concerns

The United States urged caution Monday on plans by Laos to build a multibillion-dollar dam that has raised environmental concerns from neighbouring nations, saying its impact was still "unknown."

The $3.8 billion hydroelectric project at Xayaburi, led by Thai group CH Karnchang, has sharply divided the four Mekong nations -- Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand -- who rely on the river system for fish and irrigation.

"Our own experience has made us acutely aware of the economic, social and environmental impacts that large infrastructure can have over the long-term," the State Department said in a statement that nonetheless recognized the "important role" dams can play in helping advance economic growth.

"The extent and severity of impacts from the Xayaburi dam on an ecosystem that provides food security and livelihoods for millions are still unknown."

Laotian deputy energy minister Viraphonh Viravong earlier told AFP that the government would hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday and begin work on the dam later this week.

Building work on the main project has been stalled for about 18 months over concerns relating to its environmental impact.

Viraphonh said some aspects of the dam's design had been changed to "reassure neighbouring countries", but he insisted that objections would not derail plans to finish the project by the end of 2019.

"We are concerned that construction is proceeding before impact studies have been completed," the State Department said.

It urged stakeholders to voice their concerns through the Mekong River Commission, whose Mekong nation members have not reached consensus on whether the project should proceed.

The mooted 1,260 megawatt dam, the first of 11 on the key waterway, has become a symbol of the potential risks of hydropower projects in the region.

Communist Laos, one of the world's most under-developed nations, believes the dam will help it become "the battery of Southeast Asia" by selling electricity to its richer neighbours.

"We have a strong interest in the sustainable management of the Mekong River, and we view our robust engagement as a sign of our strong commitment toward a lasting and positive relationship with the region," the US statement said.

"We hope that the government of Laos will uphold its pledge to work with its neighbours in addressing remaining questions regarding Xayaburi. We encourage the MRC countries to continue to work together to realize their shared vision of an economically prosperous, socially just and environmentally sound Mekong River basin."

~News courtesy of Channel Newsasia~