On Thursday, November 10, 2022, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister, chaired the 14th Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) Summit at Sokha Hotel Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia. The meeting was attended by Mr. Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia, Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun, Special Representative of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, along with Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Mr. Masatsugu Asakawa, President of the Asian Development Bank, and ministers and senior officials from IMT-GT member countries. Mr. Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Minister of Finance, served as Thailand’s Minister for the IMT-GT Programme, and Mr. Danucha Pichayanan, Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council, served as Thailand’s senior official. The meeting concluded with the following key outcomes:
1. The IMT-GT leaders jointly endorsed the Joint Statement of the 14th IMT-GT Summit, emphasizing the importance of subregional operations to support each country’s efforts in mitigating the impact of COVID-19, accelerating economic recovery, and acknowledging the progress of the Programme’s implementation in the past period. Furthermore, the Programme leaders jointly endorsed the Implementation Blueprint 2022-2026 (IB 2022-2026), which serves as a strategic framework for achieving the goals under the IMT-GT Vision 2036.
2. The implementation of Physical Connectivity Projects (PCPs) in the subregion over the past year was valued at over USD 57 billion (approximately THB 2.1 trillion). Thailand’s ongoing projects with significant progress include the construction of the Second Golok River Bridge connecting Sungai Golok District, Narathiwat Province with Rantau Panjang, Kelantan State; the construction of the New Golok River Bridge connecting Tak Bai District, Narathiwat Province with Pengkalan Kubor, Kelantan State; the construction of the road linking the New Sadao Customs Checkpoint, Songkhla Province with Bukit Kayu Hitam Customs Checkpoint; the construction of the Hat Yai-Sadao Special Highway; and the construction of the Hat Yai-Padang Besar Double Track Railway.
3. The meeting acknowledged progress in various cooperation sectors, including: (1) the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Rubber City Project and Rubber Industry Cooperation, establishing 3 Rubber Cities with investment exceeding USD 1.6 billion, with Thailand’s located in Songkhla Province; (2) implementation of tourism projects such as promoting Muslim tourism and developing tourism marketing communication planning toolkits; (3) promoting palm oil processing in special economic zones; (4) enhancing capacity and professional skills to align with the labor market; (5) strengthening capacity related to halal product certification and registration standards; and (6) implementing the action plan of the IMT-GT Sustainable Urban Development Framework (SUDF).
4. Additionally, the Programme leaders approved the celebration of the 30th anniversary of IMT-GT in 2023 and various activities for the IMT-GT Visit Year 2023-2025, assigning all sectors to collaborate in implementation to enhance tourist confidence and revitalize the IMT-GT economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.
On this occasion, the Prime Minister of Thailand presented 6 recommendations to the meeting, comprising:
1. Accelerate the implementation of key tourism projects to align with the 30th anniversary celebration of IMT-GT in 2023, including organizing various creative activities during the IMT-GT Visit Year 2023-2025 to support the subregion as a unified destination for global tourists.
2. Accelerate the development of Physical Connectivity Projects (PCPs) for seamless connectivity, including: (1) the construction of both Golok River Bridges; (2) the road construction project linking Thailand’s New Sadao Customs Checkpoint with Malaysia’s Bukit Kayu Hitam Checkpoint; and (3) the infrastructure connectivity project between Satun and Perlis.
3. Accelerate the implementation of projects under the MoU for the Rubber City Project and Rubber Industry Cooperation in IMT-GT to achieve concrete results and strengthen the rubber industry value chain, which requires urgent implementation in the following areas: (1) Rubber City capacity building projects; (2) cooperation in rubber research and products, innovation, and technology; and (3) cooperation in rubber product standards and certification, as well as business cooperation.
4. Develop projects under environmental cooperation to align with the BCG Model through various forms of fundraising, such as Thailand’s sustainability bonds, supporting: (1) development of projects under environmental cooperation, green city projects, and projects under the Sustainable Urban Development Framework investment plan, which align with the BCG Model; and (2) development financing mobilization, such as sustainability bonds from the Ministry of Finance, etc.
5. Strengthen the IMT-GT Business Council to drive and implement various projects to achieve concrete results, supporting the acceleration of operational mechanism adjustments to enable effective collaboration with working groups in various cooperation sectors and UNINET.
6. Support the linkage of the IMT-GT Programme with other regional economic development programmes such as GMS, BIMP-EAGA, BIMSTEC, and ACMECS to enable mutual support, focusing on supporting cooperation projects in transportation and logistics, connecting value chains between agricultural products, food and halal products, and tourism connectivity.
This meeting promotes economic and social development in the area to connect value chains and economic activities, trade, investment, and tourism. Local populations have increased income, resulting in reduced income inequality, as well as creating economic opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the area.
The 15th IMT-GT Summit is scheduled to be held in May 2023 in the Republic of Indonesia.
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Photo: Government Spokesperson Office, Office of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat
