Friendship Bridge revenue falls short
Friendship Bridge revenue falls short
The second Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge connecting Savannakhet province in central Laos and Mukdahan province in Thailand has failed to meet revenue targets this year as transport companies' shift to a shorter route.
The third Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge, which links Khammuan province in central Laos to Nakhon Phanom province in northeastern Thailand, has been favoured by transporters and tourists since it opened in 2011, as it provides a shorter passage between Vietnam and Thailand.
The route from Vietnam through to the Khammuan bridge is around 140km, while the distance to the Savannakhet bridge is 270km, the Deputy Director of Savannakhet Customs House, Mr Simeuang Sihalath, reported to Lao and Thai press during the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) press tour 2013 organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) from December 5-11 in Laos and Thailand.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport had estimated the checkpoint service at Savannakhet would receive 523 billion kip in 2013 but only 86 percent of this figure was achieved with customs officials taking in just 453 billion kip, Mr Simeuang said.
Despite this, the total collected amount is still higher than last year, with the 2012 collection reaching 452 billion kip from a target of 421.8 billion kip.
The value of goods being imported and exported through the bridge's border checkpoint has also dropped in 2013, Mr Simeuang said. These goods include electrical equipment, wood products and some agriculture produce.
The value of products imported and exported last year is US$1.666 billion but this year decreased US$1.138 billion.
The revenue of Mukdahan customs house, on the Thai side of the bridge, has also fallen from 135 million Thai baht in 2012 to 104 million Thai baht this year, according to Mukdahan Customs House Director, Mr Vorapat Jaovisidha.
Mr Simeuang said around 167,187 vehicles made a round trip across the bridge and around 1.2 million people crossed the border in 2013.
The second Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge was officially opened on December 20, 2006 to boost cooperation between Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
The new transportation network has seen an increase in tourists heading overland to the three countries along Route 9, which stretches from Laos to Vietnam.
The Lao and Thai governments are looking to improve facilities at the second bridge with plans to reduce checks on products to just one side of the bridge to create a faster passage and provide more accommodation at the checkpoint for visitors.
vientiane times
