's Corridor Town Development along the East-West Economic Corridor

SeksonＹＯＮＧＶＡＮＩＴ＊

depot while the two corridors serve as the driving Introduction force for economic development in this area｡ Another important economic route within the area The plan to construct ａ transport corridor from of the Greater Mekong Sub-region is the highway to Vietnam via Thailand by the ADB has that links Kunming to Lao PDR. The route runs resultedin the opening of the East-West Economic through to Thailand and connects with the Corridor (EべNEC), a route linking Myanmar, Lao East-West Economic Corridor at the town of Khon PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. Thailand has expanded Kaen, the center of development in the northeast- itshighways to connect with Lao PDR and to Hue em region. is the second-largest of the and Da Nang, Vietnam on the eastern side and on northeastern provinces, ａ university town which is the western side to , Myanmar. The home to regional government offices. Khon Kaen availabilityof this economic route also has been is also the economic center of the region, therefore highly anticipatedto boost economic growth in the making it the natural central point of the East-West immediate areas and among neighboring countries･ Economic Corridor. Thailand has extended the route to its connect- There are four central areas of the East-West ing borders with Lao PDR and Myanmar, which Economic Corridor in which each place or town has is currently constructing the transport corridor to a different level of economic development which is Mawlamyine, ａtown expected to become an impor- dependent upon their geographical conditions, ad- tantportin the near future. ministrative management and the capabilities of the local units or organizations. This article will focus East-West Economic Corridor Towns in Thailand on the strategic plan, administrative management, and the success or failure of Mae Sot town. The East-West Economic Corridor has significant- ly contributed to the speedy growth of development The role of EWEC in Thailand within the towns along the route, particularlythe border towns between Thailand and Myanmar (Mae The Asian Development Ｂａｎｋ（ＡＤＢ）has Sot and Myawaddy) and also between Thailand given support to the development of the East- and Lao PDR ( and ). These West Economic Corridor pr（!ject since 1992. In four main border towns have played ａ crucial 1991 Thailand, under the government of General role in the growth of economic and commercial Chatchai Chunhawan, announced ａ policy to turn development within their specific sphere of influ- the conflicts within the area of the Greater Mekong ence. With regard to the central part of Thailand, Sub-region into trade. Under this policy, each prov- the North-South Economic Corridor (NSEC) starts ince was required to devise its own investment plan. from Kunming in China and goes via Myanmar to Northeastern provinces, in particular, had focused the north of Thailand, passes through the central their plans on investment in infrastructure includ- and southern region and will be linked to Malaysia ing the construction of roads, railways and airports. and Singapore. The point where the ＥべMEC and Ａ related seminar was organized in Khon Kaen to NSEC cross is located at the town of , brain-storm effective strategies for the plan with the alsoknown as“The Indo-China Junction”.The geo- participants coming from various backgrounds in graphicallocation of Phitsanulok gives it an advan- both public and private sectors. One participant in tage as the transportationand produce distribution particular, who was a businessman, had raised the

* Administrative Development Program, Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty, Khon Kaen University,Thailand

- １ － Regional Views Ｎ０. 24 2011

Fig. 1. CorridorTown Development along the East-West Economic Corridor

concept of an East-West Economic Corridor that devise ａ strategic plan at regional level. Regional would facilitate the link from Khon Kaen to Vietnam groups such as the northern and northeastern would and Myanmar. However, the idea was then very new, then be divided into provincial groups which were so received only limited attention. Subsequently the required to propose ａ strategic plan for developing investment plan for Khon Kaen failed to mention the province group. The results from the process in the link of the East-West Economic Corridor con- the northern and northeastern regions showed that cept in the plan implemented, at that time｡ the strategic plan of all clusters had included the Then in 2003, the Thai government announced strategy to link their areas to the North-South and ａ policy to build economic ties between Thailand East-West Economic Corridors. Even those groups and neighboring countries in order to develop and that were not situated along the routes had attempted enhance the country's economy as well as create ａ to create such ａ connection. local link with the global economy. This policy was The Internet search for the word encouraged in an attempt to facilitate Thailand to jｕｍヽ^ifliiHffin)四仇i〕i〕ｎ四仇gin(meaning East-West be more competitive at an international level. Both Economic Corridor) currently shows up on more North-South and East-West Economic Corridors than 1,050,700 websites which provide a11 related would also make Thailand the center of economic information, such as investment, transportation and development in the Greater Mekong Sub-region･ international trade, but most of this information con- Moreover, the northeastern region of Thailand cems tourism and travel among the five countries which is the poorest part of the country would also including China, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and benefit from this development｡ Thailand. The beginning of 2008 saw the opening To implement the policy, the government advised of the 丘rst direct air-conditioned bus service from the city mayors to set up a group of4 or 5 provinces, ＫＩ!on Kaen to Vientiane and from Mukdahan to so-called ‘clusters' which were located in the same Hue in Vietnam as well as the route from Mae Sot to development area categorized in the 1992 invest- Mukdahan (Table 1). ment plan for infrastructure. These clusters would also be grouped into regional areas and required to

- ２－ Thailand's Corridor Town Development along the East-West Economic Ｃｏ�dor(Yongvanit)

Table 1. Public Bus Schedule

Distance/ Duration/ Price/ DestinationTwo-ways PublicBus Year Departure Kilometer Hours US＄ 2008 Khon Kaen To Vientaine Air-con Daily 270 ５ ６ 2008 Mukdahan To Hue Air-con Daily 350 ８ 13 2009 Mae SotTo Mukdahan Air-con Daily 2 Buses 810 13 18.5

2005. Then in 2006, ａ government policy declared Case study: Mae Sot/SpecialBorder Economic 皿area of ４００acres to be used for the 1皿d develop- Zone ment plan and this time, a feasibility study of the area was carried out. This progress was then fol- Mae Sot is situated in , which shares lowed by the action plan to set up the consumable ａ border with Myanmar. The serves goods depot, business center, inland cargo depot, tax as ａ natural border between Mae Sot and the town free zone and one stop service within the area｡ of Myawaddy. The area of Mae Sot covers 1,986 In the middle of 2009, TCC organized ａ meeting square kilometers with a total population of 120,569 with the Ministry of Industry to address the Mae inhabitants. The Thai-Myanmar friendship bridge Sot land development plan and its progress. Ｍr･ was built in 1997, with aim of facilitating trade Chaiwth Seneetantikul, the chairman of the Tak between the two neighboring countries. The govern- Industrial Association had addressed the slow prog- ment's development plan of 1998 aimed to develop ress of Mae Sot land development plan, particularly and promote Mae Sot as ａ city of international trade the plan to establish the industrial park which had and ａcenter for tourism activities.Later in 2003, the been intended since 2006 but was stillat the‘pend- government announced ａ strategic plan to develop ing' stage. There was no further discussion about the border area by building up the network and link- specific directions of the plan and how it could be ing up with neighboring countries. The pr(!ject also implemented｡ included the setting up of both overall and specific In terms of transportation development, TCC had city plans. The main policy was to tackle problems proposed a highway expansion plan which aimed to and develop ａ community basic structure. It also expand the highway from Tak province to Mae Sot aimed to encourage the establishment of an indus- to ４ lanes. This pr（!jecthad been active since 2004 trialpark, ａ consumable goods depot and an inland but it was only towards the end of 2008 that it was cargo depot while developing human resources and officially included in the 2009－20 11 TCC develop- environmental protection｡ ment policy which was also set to expand the high- Tak Chamber of Commerce (TCC) played an ac- way to ４lanes. Moreover, TCC was also working in tive part in pushing forward a11 related policies by cooperation with the govemment to activate ａ plan working closely with the Governor of Tak Province Ｒ）rconstructing a railway from Tak to Mae Sot. The (ＴＰ)，ＴａｋProvincial Administrative Organization, physical survey and feasibility study of this plan had businessmen and others from the private sectors. already been carried out in 2007. Air transportation The direction of the Tak development plan was development showed little improvement in ser- to develop effective teamwork and to enhance its vices and availability. Airlines which oper- national trade to the international market. The team ated from to Tak had ceased its services in was responsible for making effective strategies and 2005｡ cooperating with national organizations. Policy However, two years later, the governor of Tak follow-up was also exercised to ensure the imple- province had approached Air Asia to open ａ new mentation of the plan｡ route between Bangkok and Tak while the TCC had Mae Sot was announced to be ａ Special Economic been in talks with the PB Airlines. In January 2009, Zone in 2002, followed by the land development PB Airlines opened its 丘rst service offering return project of Tak province which aimed to develop flights from Bangkok to Mae Sot and Mae Sot to the industrial park, consumable goods depot, busi- Bangkok available on Monday, Wednesday and ness center and inland cargo depot within the area･ Friday each week. TCC was highly credited as be- However, there was little evidence of further imple- ing the driving force for this success｡ mentation of this policy in the following years up to For TCC and TP, another main focus is to develop

- ３－ Regional Views Ｎ０. 24 2011

human resources to support the land development such as the water pipe system, water sewage pipe of Mae Sot. These organizations set the policy for 皿d sewage management to ensure that Mae Sot is human resource development and labor adminis- ａ healthy and green city.The project for 2009-20 1 1 tration. This resulted in ａ number of TCC related includes flood protection and ａ new city plan to ex- seminars, conferences and training courses such as pand the municipal area to the northern part of the Intemational business, Border trade or Intemational city,in the direction of Amphoe Mae Lamat｡ Trade Management, during the year 2006-2009. TCC, TP and Mae Sot Municipality's slogan TCC has also provided funding for related research is to promote Mae Sot as ａ gateway to Myanmar projects to ａ number of institutional organizations･ through its connection with Myawaddy which is TCC main policy for 2009-20 11 has focused on described as its sister city and economic partner. In strengthening manpower capability｡ 2006, TCC had agreed to arrange ａ monthly meet- Moreover, the organizations have also paid spe- ing between the customs officers of Myawaddy and cific attention to the area of tourism by arranging Mae Sot to discuss a11 related issues, followed by ａ the Mae Sot Mountain Bike Cross Country 2008 monthly meeting which has taken place since 2007. and promoting Mae Sot as ａplace for adventure and This practice is an effort by TCC to maintain ａ good eco-tourism. The Thai government supported the relationship with Myawaddy. This year the two project of building the highway from Myawaddy to sister cities arranged ａ friendship sports match and Kawkareik District which can link to Mawlamyaine TCC also took an educational trip to Myawaddy, to town in Myanmar. TCC and TP had proposed to observe the city trade area which has been declared promote Mae Sot as the tourism hub of the area ａ Special Economic Zone. The industry zone and by integrating Tak tourism with Myawaddy and trade center covers 400 acres and takes up a total Mawlamyaine｡ area of almost 500 acres. The future plan is to estab- According to the 2002 government policy, which lish the business and service centers for export and promoted twenty border towns in Thailand to be import｡ economic towns, Mae Sot city had achieved the TCC and TP policy for 2009－20 1 1 also at- goals set for this policy by setting up a city plan and tempts to push forward the land development plan, developing major public facilities.In 2008, Mae particularly those imfinished pr(!jects such as the Sot municipality had improved its public facilities industrial park project, consumable goods depot

Government Policy Special Eo Zone ｓｓ－７；；こ･；.：一岫岫岫恟 ち ．．４で j,。お忿こ

１， . Mae Sot べごごごｆ Myawaddy Ｘ Tak Provin フゴゴな ^awlamyine ゝ ／

" ずφ〆 Living C -－－－ＳＳＳ－ - Airline Infrastructure Transportation Myawaddy Special HRD Economic Zone

Industry Park

Challe ighway 4 lanes Business Center Flooding Service center for way Import and export Tourist New ination

Fig. 2. General Framework of Development in Mae Sot Area

- ４ － Thailand's Corridor Town Development along the East-West Economic Ｃｏ�dor(Yongvanit)

and one stop service, 4-lane highway from Tak to Mae Sot, airport expansion as well as the 30 km Bibliography transport corridor from Myawaddy to Kawkareik District which will be the route that links Mae Sot ADB 2004. 7?ｅが onal Coo μeration Sか 'ategy and

Pｒｏｓｒａｍ ２００４ －２００８ .Ｔｈｅ ＧＭＳ･ 一Ｂｅｙｏｎｄ Ｂｏｒｄｅｒｓ to Mawlamyaine. The future plan includes ａ Long ･ Distance Transportation Station pr(!ject,ａ second Ｖｏｌｕｍｅ ｌ . Asian Development Bank. March Thai-Myanmar bridge link, work skills training 2004.

center, contract farm, the Tak-Mawlamyaing ‘One Khon Kaen University 2005. Ｓtｕｄｙ Ｐｒｏｊｅｃt ｏｎ

destination pr(!ject'and Mae Sot Tax Free Zone｡ Ｐｏtｅｎtialiｔｙ ｏｆ Ｌ) [ｓtｒict Clｕｓtｅｒ ｆｏｒ Ｔｏｕｒiｓｍ Ｌ]ｅ-

The Thai export industry to Myanmar via Mae ｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎt，Ｋｈｏｎ Ｋａｅｎ Ｐｒｏｖｉｎｃｅ，･ Ａｎ Ｅｘｅｃｕtiｖｅ

Sot has achieved an impressive record of success Ｓｕｍｍａｒｙ . Khon Kean: Khon Kaen University･

over recent years. In 2004, Thailand's export val- National Economic and Social Development Office ues increased to US$445 million from the pervious 2005. TV ｏｒｉｈｅａｓt Ｔｈａｉｌａｎｄ’ｓＳtｒａtｅｇｉｃ Ｌ)ｅｖｅｌｏｐ-

US$335 million while the import values accounted ｍｅｎt . Khon Kaen. (in Thai)

for US$30 million. This success is vmdeniably due Northeastern Strategic Institute 2005. TVｏｒtｈｅａｓtｅｒn

to the joint efforts of all stakeholders, such as TCC, Thailand's Coo μeration with GMS. Khon Kaen: the public and private sectors and the local govern- Khon Kaen University. (in Thai)

ment. Despite slow progress in some ｐr(!jects,TCC Utit Kaotem 2005. 7? eview on ぶtrate がc and 加陀- and TP have continued with their efforts in order ｇｒａtｅｄ ４ ｙｅａｒｓｐｌａｎｆｏｒ clｕｓtｅｒ ｐｒｏｖincial (2θθ7- to achieve the government policy goals. Their en- 2008). Bangkok, Thailand, (in Thai) deavor obviously serves as a driving force for the Tanit Sorat 2008. Ｌｏｇｉｓtｉｃｈφ＾ｓtｒｕｃtｕｒｅ Ｓtｒａtｅｇｉｃ economic growth and development of Mae Ｓｏt｡ Ｐｌａｎ ｆｏｒ 1 vｏｒtｈｅａｓtｅｒｎ Ｔｈａｉｌａｎｄ. Chamber of Other areas that TCC has focused on include Industry, Thailand. the development of local businessmen to enable Yongvanit, Sekson 2006. Impact of East-West Eco- them to enhance the scope of their business to an nomic Corridor to Northeast Thailand. In ｊη international level, the development of manpower International Worksho μθηＧル tS Coo μeration capability and educational training in areas such ａｎｄ Ｅａｓt-Ｗｅｓt Ｅｃｏｎｏｍｉｃ Ｃｏｒｒｉｄｏｒ. Presented in as languages, culture and work skills for migrant Hanoi, Vietnam on １３－14 February 2006. laborers from Myanmar. TCC and TP have formed ａ Yongvanit, Sekson and Bejrananda, Monsicha 2006.

close working relationship and initiated an exchange The East-West Economic Corridor (ＥべＶＥＣ)and

of culture, tradition and activities with the local of- its Impact on the Urban Development of Khon

ficials from both countries to ensure effective coop- Kaen City. In lLﾉｒｈａｎ ｃｈａｎｇｅｓ in diがｅｒｅｎt ｓｃａｌｅｓ:

eration in the long term｡ ｓｙｓtｅｍｓ皿ｄ ｓtｒｕｃtｕｒｅｓ. Presented in Santiago de

Given the example of the Mae Sot border city ex- Compostela, Spain on 3 1 July-6 August 2006･

perience, it is clear that development takes time and http://ｗｗｗ.adb.ｏrg/Documents/TARs/VIE/ requires govemment support and the involvement of tar-vie-39122･pdf Search on June 10, 2007･

all stakeholders as the keys to success. In the case of http://ｗｗｗ.globalpolicy.ｏrg/socecon/develop/

Mae Sot, when considering all contributors, includ- 2005/06gms･pdf Search on June 10, 2007･ ing TCC, the municipality, district administrative http://ｗｗｗ.ｏａｅ.go.th/zone3 Search on November councils, businessmen, traders and local people, 3, 2009. TCC is clearly the most significant stakeholder and http://ｗｗｗ.ｍsｍｕｎ.go.th.Search.on.October.10. the driving force behind the city's successful devel- . 2009. opment. http://th. wikipedia.org/wiki Search on November

3, 2009.

http://ｗｗｗ.thaiechambe．ｃｏｍ/cms Search on No-

vember 3， 2009.

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