NEW TRANSPORTATION ARTERIES AND TRADE INITIATIVES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 VIENTIANE 000524 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS STATE FOR INL/AAE PACOM FOR POLAD PACOM FOR JIATFW E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECIN ELTN ETRD KCRM KHIV LA PGOV SNAR TH, VM, XC SUBJECT: NEW TRANSPORTATION ARTERIES AND TRADE INITIATIVES AID LAOS' DEVELOPMENT AND ILLICIT TRAFFICKING ALIKE REF: A. VIENTIANE 259 ¶B. VIENTIANE 257 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. New highways and trade initiatives may boost Laos' growth but will provide greater opportunities for illicit trafficking as well. With the opening of a Savannakhet, Laos-Mukdahan, Thailand bridge, the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) that transects southern Laos is now complete from Da Nang, Vietnam to Bangkok, Thailand. The new China-Thailand Highway that will connect Yunnan Province to central Thailand via northwestern Laos is also nearly complete. Both of these transportation arteries will provide badly needed capacity to Laos' austere transportation network. Regional trade agreements, such as the ASEAN Single Window Initiative (ASWI),will provide a welcome relief for shippers who currently have to contend with a multitude of customs procedures and forms just to move cargo a few hundred miles but across several borders. Unfortunately, improvements designed to facilitate trade can also facilitate illicit trafficking. The Government of Laos (GOL) is well aware of the potential pitfalls and is urgently seeking assistance to develop the country's capacity to control its own borders. Laos wants the benefits of trade but would like to avoid the downside that could come with it. The new transportation corridors and trade initiatives are regional, making it almost impossible for Laos to solve border control issues on its own. Regional and domestic interagency cooperation will be critical. Laos is already the transit route of choice for traffickers in mainland Southeast Asia; if its law enforcement capacity remains below the regional standard, the region will suffer the consequences. End Summary. The New Mukdahan-Savannahket Bridge ¶2. (U) The bridge between the provincial capitals of Savannakhet, Laos and Mukdahan, Thailand opened in January, completing the roadway spine of the EWEC from the Burmese border with Thailand to Da Nang, Vietnam. Only the final leg of the EWEC through Burma to the Andaman Sea remains unfinished. The drive from Da Nang to Savannakhet can be completed in nine hours; the trip from the bridge on to Bangkok or the Thai port of Lam Chabang would take slightly less. ¶3. (SBU) Laos is not the destination for the majority of vehicles crossing the new span. Thailand and Vietnam--larger, more efficient, and better developed--will be the primary beneficiaries of the new highway. Hindering Lao aspirations is a lack of competitiveness; Vietnam enjoys a substantial advantage in labor productivity, so much so that Lao roads are often built by Vietnamese workers, and Laos' weak educational system produces graduates whose skills pale in comparison to their Thai counterparts. In addition, Laos, with its small population, outmoded economy, and landlocked location has never been the magnet for foreign direct investment that its neighbors have. ¶4. (U) Lao officials, however, remain optimistic that their country will share in the benefits of the EWEC. Laos has set aside two large tracts of land to serve as special economic zones, one at Dene Savan, Savannakhet Province, adjacent to the Vietnamese border, and another at Xeno, just north of the new bridge. The Ministry of Commerce expects industrial development in the special economic zones to commence in less than two years. ¶5. (U) These free trade zones are exempt from import or export duties, and customs procedures can be completed within the zones, facilitating rapid passage at border checkpoints. Once the zones are developed, the current flow of 200 to 300 vehicles per day across the bridge may increase to thousands. Small businesses servicing the transportation sector have already opened along the highway, including roadside stops that provide fuel, food, lodging, and entertainment for truckers hauling heavy cargoes and Thai tourist buses bound for Vietnam's beaches. The China-Thailand Highway ¶6. (U) Construction work on the new China-Thailand highway is nearing completion. Once the road is complete, the drive VIENTIANE 00000524 002 OF 003 from the Chinese border at Boten (in Laos' Luang Namtha Province) to the Thai border at Houay Xai (in Laos' Bokeo Province) will take only four to five hours. From Houay Xai, Bangkok is less than twelve hours away. The fact the road is not yet 100% complete has not prevented Chinese entrepreneurs or Thai trucking firms from using it. Vehicles bearing Chinese license plates can be seen more and more throughout Luang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces. The highway also intersects the road to the Burmese border at Xieng Kok (along the Mekong River),approximately four hours to the west. The GOL has announced that it is planning new spans across the Mekong at both Houay Xai and Xieng Kok, facilitating much easier travel within the Green Triangle (intersection of China, Burma, and Laos) and Golden Triangle (intersection of Thailand, Burma, and Laos) regions. ¶7. (U) The GOL has established a special economic zone at Boten similar to those in Savannakhet. Unlike the southern zones, Boten is already being developed. Chinese firms have moved quickly to invest in tobacco, rubber, and casino projects, and the northern end of the highway in Laos is taking on a boomtown aura. Smaller Chinese traders are also an increasingly visible presence in Luang Namtha, Udomxay, Houay Xai, and Xaignabouri Provinces. New Trade Initiatives ¶8. (U) The new transportation arteries are only one component of a broader effort to promote trade in the region. New agreements promise to lower duties and ease customs procedures for companies doing business in Laos, which already has a bilateral agreement with Vietnam and hopes to have one with Thailand in the not too distant future. When the ASWI is fully implemented, which according to the GOL will occur here in 2012, it will be a further step forward toward regional integration. Under the ASWI, shippers can complete all of the necessary customs procedures in the country of origin, and will not have to worry about any additional customs formalities until the goods arrive at the final destination. A central database will allow customs officials in any participating country to access information on any shipment transiting their borders. The initiative is aimed at ending the burden on shippers and speed cargoes by streamlining paperwork and eliminating the need for inspections at every border. For the majority of containerized cargoes, this will mean a streamlined documentation process and only one inspection for a shipment between any two ASEAN members. Looming Problems ¶9. (SBU) However, GOL law enforcement agencies are concerned that the measures designed to facilitate trade and development may also assist illicit traffickers. More vehicles on faster highways, combined with fewer inspections, will make the work of interdicting the flow of trafficked humans, illegal drugs, and precursor chemicals very difficult throughout the region. Under the ASWI, the GOL will reduce the number of agencies responsible for border controls from ten to three: Customs, Immigration, and Agriculture. In addition to making drug and human trafficking easier, the streamlined procedures could lead to more trade in illegal timber, un-inspected poultry, weapons, cash, forged documents, and cultural relics. Savannakhet already has problems with trafficking in persons and drugs; the opening of the new bridge is likely to further aggravate both. With the increased traffic comes another concern, the spread of HIV/AIDS. The Golden Triangle/Green Triangle regions of Laos are potentially more vulnerable, and HIV/AIDS could become a serious issue in northwestern Laos once the China-Thailand highway is complete. ¶10. (SBU) Comment. The GOL continues to reiterate its request to donors for assistance to build the law enforcement capacity it will need to meet the challenges intrinsic to growing trade. What Lao Customs officials need most are basic contraband inspection equipment and training in their use. China has announced that it will provide $19 million in loans to fund five container x-ray machines at key points of entry such as Boten and Savannakhet, but the machines will be expensive to operate and maintain, and are probably not appropriate for Laos' current border control infrastructure. VIENTIANE 00000524 003 OF 003 Even under the best circumstances, this is a task Laos cannot undertake successfully without greater regional cooperation; regional trafficking issues will require regional solutions. End Comment. MCGEEHAN