Thailand has affirmed that its section of the long-delayed India–Myanmar–Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway is complete, while expressing hope that political stability will soon return to Myanmar so that the unfinished stretches can move forward.
Speaking to WION, Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow described Thailand’s ties with India as “excellent” and “robust”, noting growing cooperation in trade, defence and efforts to combat transnational cybercrime.
Responding to a question on the IMT Highway, the minister said, “We have financed a certain segment within Myanmar. India’s part has been done. India is helping also to finance part of this segment in Myanmar, but the project has been stalled because we know why, because of the situation.”
Thailand, he emphasised, hoped that “the situation will return to normalcy soon, and so that we can continue to work on the trilateral highway project, so that it can be completed.”
He also flagged the proposed coastal shipping corridor linking major ports across Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh and India as another priority for regional connectivity.
The IMT Highway, conceived in 2002, is a flagship element of India’s broader ambition to build seamless east–west connectivity linking the Indian Ocean to both the Pacific and Atlantic.
Construction of the 1,360 km corridor formally began in 2012, yet the project has suffered repeated delays. India was tasked with building around 200 km of road and upgrading 69 ageing bridges from the Second World War era, while Thailand had a relatively small construction share.
The remaining stretch runs through Myanmar, where progress has slowed dramatically since the 2021 military coup and the subsequent civil conflict, particularly in the Sagaing region where ethnic armed groups now hold territory.
New Delhi has repeatedly urged for accelerated completion. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has argued that once connected to the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), the IMT route would be among the “veritable changers” linking the Pacific to the Atlantic.
India has also begun engaging multiple stakeholders inside Myanmar to prevent the project from stalling indefinitely.
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