Thai officials and their Myanmar counterparts remain committed to the long-awaited Dawei
megaproject, with the Myanmar-Thailand Joint High-Level Committee (JHC) and the Joint
Coordinating Committee (JCC) to be set up soon to foster development.

Porametee Vimolsiri, secretary-general to the National Economic and Social Development
Board (NESDB), said the recent joint ministerial meeting held on Aug 15-16 in Myanmar
agreed to revitalise the role of the JHC and the JCC to rev up the multibillion-dollar project.

New sets of the two committees, which stalled before Myanmar held a general election on
Nov 8 last year, are to be established soon.
Mr Porametee said the Myanmar government is also reconsidering loan plans for the
construction of the 132-kilometre road from the Dawei deep-sea port to Ban Phu Nam
Ron in Kanchanaburi.

The Thai government last year agreed to offer a 4.5-billion-baht loan to Myanmar to finance
the road construction. The Thai cabinet already endorsed the loan plan.

Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said in February that construction of the road
would be postponed after an inspection by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica)
determined that 15-degree inclines along seven stretches of the road would be unsafe for Lorries.

The project was scheduled to start in March.

Last December Japan signed a shareholder's agreement for a special purpose vehicle that
will operate the project.

Under the agreement, Japan would hold equal shares in the Dawei SEZ Development Co with
Thailand and Myanmar.