Narinjara news

 

Road to Bangladesh from Burma

 

Maungdaw,18th January 03:  The road from Rangoon to Dhaka seems to be under active consideration of the Burmese ruling junta, reports our correspondent.

 

The Rakhine State construction engineer, U Thein Gyaw and his team visited the road from Taungbro, a border village on the sources of the Naaf River that separates the two countries of Burma and Bangladesh, to Kring-chhaung under the Nasaka security forces area #4 at Maungdaw Township on 29 and 30 December last. 

 

A total of 131 big and small bridges will be constructed in this section of the proposed Bangladesh to Rangoon road, which is nearly 29 km long.  When completed the road will by pass Maungdaw town to link Buthidaung on the Mayu River that hugs the western shore of Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State. From Buthidaung the road will lead to Kyauktaw Township upstream the river Kaladan. 

 

Further the road will go through the townships of Mrauk-u, Manbra (Minbya), Mrebon and Ann, from where the road will cross the Rakhine (Arakan) Romas to Burma proper. 

 

The road link with Bangladesh has been dubbed as ‘alternative Asian Highway’ since this road will bring Dhaka – Rangoon – Bangkok and farther reaches of South East Asia closer, while China will also reap the benefit of a road link with the South and South East Asia through Burma’s northern frontier.

 

The Burmese junta leaders’ visit to Bangladesh in December last has created high hopes among the business communities in the two countries for increased growth of trade and bilateral relations.  At present there is a huge illegal trade in goods smuggling between the two countries that deprive the coffers of the two countries of legal duty. #

 

Narinjara News archive [from December 2001] online at

http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1250&lo=d&sl=0