The South Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is finalizing the feasibility study on building a railroad to link Myanmar and Thailand and the finding will be presented to Myanmar rail transport authorities for deliberation, Myanmar Times reported Thursday.

The final report of the feasibility study on Thanphyuzayat, a Myanmar-Thai section on the Myanmar side constituting part of the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link (SKRL) project, is being prepared for the presentation, according to the KOICA.

KOICA, which is South Korean government's overseas aid agency, is stationed in 36 countries including Myanmar and is also helping Myanmar in the development of medical science and rural areas.

The SKRL project was proposed at the 5th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bangkok in December 1995 with Malaysia as the project coordinator.

In this regards, a special meeting of a working group involving Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam as well as Japan and South Korea was held in Yangon in December 2002, adopting a two-pronged action plan and agreeing in principle to implement the plan which involves simultaneous action at the regional/macro level and at the individual country level.

The project working group, formed in 1996, outlined that countries concerned shall incorporate the missing links and spur lines of the endorsed SKRL route configuration in their respective national development plans.

As part of the SKRL project, Myanmar has built and opened in February 2005 the Thanlwin Bridge, a combined rail-cum-road bridge across the Thanlwin River connecting Mottama and Mawlamyine in southern Mon state.

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2006)