PM wants new Thai-Malaysia road finished in Q1
Paetongtarn wants newly constructed crossing at Songkhla’s Sadao to open as soon as possible to boost trade and tourism in the South
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Tuesday ordered the completion of the road linking the new border checkpoint in Songkhla’s Sadao to Malaysia’s Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint by the first quarter this year.
The PM held a mobile Cabinet meeting in Songkhla on Tuesday and inspected several development projects in the southern province.
During her visit to the 2nd Sadao Border Checkpoint, she learned that the crossing, built in 2019, remains closed due to the unfinished road link with Malaysia’s Bukit Kayu Hitam Checkpoint.
Songkhla’s Provincial Administrative Organisation in November 2024 approved the construction of two roads at the checkpoint under a budget of 98 million baht to boost border trade and tourism.
The first project is a 600-metre road linking the two checkpoints, set for completion in six months with a budget of 28 million baht.
The second is a 1.15km road connecting the checkpoint with Highway No 4, to be finished in one year with a budget of 70 million baht.
Paetongtarn ordered provincial authorities to ensure the first road is finished by the first quarter of this year, so the new Songkhla-Malaysia crossing can open.
Cross-border trade at the first Sadao Checkpoint totalled 450.18 billion baht in fiscal 2024, according to the Customs Department. Trade at the crossing in the first quarter of fiscal 2025 (October-December 2024) was at 114.08 billion baht, with imports at 51.28 billion baht and exports at and 62.79 billion baht – up 1.8% from the same period last year.
