BANGKOK, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim jointly opened a new road linking the Sadao and Bukit Kayu Hitam customs checkpoints on Friday in a move to ease congestion at Thailand's busiest land border crossing.
In a statement, Thai government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek said the road will open for public and commercial traffic on Saturday after years of joint construction to fully connect the two countries' customs facilities.
The leaders shook hands at the midpoint of the crossing before Anwar hosted Anutin for a plaque unveiling and lunch on the Malaysian side.
Anutin called the new checkpoint an "economic gateway," saying it would boost trade, investment, tourism, and logistics between the two Southeast Asian neighbors.
Both governments also agreed to accelerate border development in the Songkhla-Kedah, Satun-Perlis, and Narathiwat-Kelantan areas.
Thailand and Malaysia are targeting 30 billion U.S. dollars in annual bilateral trade, with Sadao alone handling over 80 percent of Thai-Malaysian border trade.
The Sadao checkpoint is located within southern Thailand's Songkhla Special Economic Development Zone. The expanded facility includes 11 vehicle lanes and 14 immigration lanes per side, plus a cargo terminal with dual fast-scan X-ray and truck weighing systems.
Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said the link would also boost overland tourism from Malaysia.
Thai immigration data showed that 2.05 million Malaysian tourists entered Thailand between Jan. 1 and June 21, with over 1.04 million crossing at Sadao. ■
