Dawei SEZ stands better chance with Japanese participation, officials say
The governments of Myanmar, Japan and Thailand will be meeting over the troubled Dawei special economic zone (SEZ) project that has stalled since 2013 for lack of funding. Ministers will form a Joint Cooperation Committee to discuss how Japan can be more involved in developing the SEZ.
Located 20 kilometres north of Dawei, capital of Tanintharyi Region in Myanmar’s southeast coast bordering Thailand, the Dawei SEZ comprises 20,000 hectares of land and includes industrial as well as port facilities.
Italian-Thai Development pcl (ITD), a Thai construction firm, was to take the lead in the project with the initial memorandum of understanding between the Myanmar and Thai governments signed in 2008. After the project stalled in 2013, both governments remained committed to completing it, but efforts to woo other investors after sidelining ITD has been unsuccessful.
Chan Mya Htwe
