3. India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway -
India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway (TH) Project is an important development process for trade, transport and the economy of three member countries. The inspiration of India-Myanmar-Thailand project is to enhance trade, investment and tourism by linking the three countries. It is planned to be a 1,360 km long Moreh-Bagan-Mae Sot highway at the estimated cost of US$ 700 million. The intrinsic objective of the road was to fulfill the ambition of creating a ‘link’ between Northeast India and Southeast Asia.
However, until now, route for the TH within Myanmar has not yet been stable although some sections have been approved. This obstacle limits survey sites to be investigated, data availability and production of related maps. The TH route granted by Myanmar government passing through the country comprises various missing links: some are village-to-village tracks and some are totally untouched. India and Thailand have upgraded some of the link roads but due to financial scarcity in Myanmar, much work remains incomplete.
Apart from financial problems, there are many debilitating concerns such as security in the region. The development and commercially viable status of TH highly depend on political stability in some of the states in India’s Northeastern region.