BANGKOK, 11 October 2013 Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has invited Japan to take part in Thailand’s 2.2 trillion baht infrastructure projects as Thailand looks to bring in Japanese technology in rail system.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra met her Japanese counterpart PM Shinzo Abe during her trip to Brunei Darussalam to attend the 23rd ASEAN Summit. Miss Yingluck expressed her desire for Japan to invest in Thailand’s infrastructure as she praised Japan for its technological advancement in the rail system. Japan has been operating its high-speed train service or so called Shinkansen for 50 long years, and not once Japanese high-speed trains have been in an accident. This is why Japanese technology in rail service is widely recognized and internationally accepted.
Meanwhile, PM Abe told Miss Yingluck that not just the infrastructure plan Japan is willing to support Thailand, but he said Japan would also act as Thailand’s advisor to provide all-round knowledge about a rail service which includes ticketing and operating system.
The Thai Premier went on to inform Mr. Abe that Thailand has 10 other skytrain projects which are now underway and will thus need many more electric trains which Japan can support as a supplier.
Lastly, Miss Yingluck congratulated Japan for seeing off the race over rivals Madrid and Istanbul to become the host to the Olympics and Paralympics in 2020. She also thanked Japan for exempting visa for Thai travelers.
Before ending the discussion, PM Shinzo Abe expressed to Thailand his condolences over the recent flooding as he asked the Thai government to look after and assist Japanese companies affected by the heavy flooding.
