Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, September 20, 2010:
Top diplomats from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manipur Monday inspected border trade in Moreh, the border town where cross border trades are carrying out between India and Myanmar.
The team arrived at Moreh from Imphal today by road took first hand accounts of the infrastructure development in the town, like border trade centre, construction site of Integrated Check Post (ICP) etc.
before they entered to Tamu and took stock of cross border trade on Myanmar side, an official in Moreh said when contacted.
The ASEAN team led Malaysian Ambassador Dalo Tan Seng Sung and comprising diplomats of Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia, arrived in Imphal yesterday as part of tour to country�s northeast region to explore potentials in the underdeveloped but resource-rich area and its future connectivity with the dynamic grouping.
The 19-member team will take a flight to Mizoram tomorrow, concluding their three day visit.
Secretary to Union ministry of Development of North East Region (DoNER) Asholi Chalai is accompanying the touring diplomats.
The visit of the top diplomats of the ASEAN countries was related with exploration of state of economic possibilities of the states, according to a government source and was under the initiative of the Central government to expose these states to ASEAN and explore how ASEAN and the northeast region can fit into India�s Look East Policy.
India was keen to work with ASEAN countries under its Look east Policy and the visit was also closely related with India�s proposal to connect India (northeast region), Myanmar and Thailand through a trilateral highway and to extract trade opportunities with ASEAN countries.
They considered that the trilateral highway will open up more people-to-people contacts and increase in tourism.
As early as in 2003, under the Mekong Ganga Cooperation, the three countries, India, Myanmar and Thailand, had initiated the mega-infrastructure idea to construct the 1,360 kilometres trilateral highway.
But the project had been delayed till date.