Trilateral highway to give India larger role: Poom Sarapol

BANGKOK: India will have a larger role in Southeast Asia after the planned Trilateral Highway, an economic bridge linking India, China and the rest of the region, is built, a Thai minister has said.

Thai Deputy Commerce Minister Poom Sarapol said India and Myanmar's recent MOU would translate into cooperation on a number of road projects, which was part of India's "Look East" policy, Thai News Agency reported.

Poom said if Myanmar seriously cooperated with India, the planned 'Trilateral Highway,' passing through Thailand's Mae Sot District, Tak Province, would become an economic bridge linking up India, China and the rest of Southeast Asia.

That would also give India a larger role in the region, he said, as India also wanted to widen its trade with Thailand and use the country as a springboard in enlarging economic cooperation with Asean members.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had hoped during his recent visit to Myanmar that the very symbolic Trilateral Highway that will connect India, Myanmar and Thailand could be fully built by 2016.

During that visit, foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai had announced that "efforts would be made to establish seamless trilateral connectivity by 2016".