Malaysia to chair rail project meeting

SINGAPORE: Malaysia will chair a special working group that oversees the implementation of the multi-billion rail project connecting Singapore to Kunming in China.

The group's meeting will be held on November 22 in Putrajaya.

These were among the resolutions adopted during the 10th Asean-Mekong Basin Development Cooperation (AMBDC) meeting held in conjunction with the Asean Economic Ministers and other related meetings here since Monday.

A conference and exhibition on the massive rail project will also be held early next year to promote the project.

The railway will link eight of the AMBDC countries, which includes the 10 members of Asean and China. Some 550km of missing links costing about US$2 billion (RM6.78 billion) still needs to be built.

At present, the "missing links" are at various stages of development.

Apart from this project, there are 44 other projects in various stages of implementation. Of these, 13 projects still need funding worth US$26.5 millon (RM90 million).

In a statement, Asean ministers said the AMBDC process needs to be realigned and synchronised with the Asean Economic Community.

By New Straits Times (by Kamarul Yunus)