Thailand, Malaysia open new Sadao-Bukit Kayu Hitam border link

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his Malaysian counterpart Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim jointly presided over the official opening of a road connecting the new Sadao customs checkpoint with Malaysia's Bukit Kayu Hitam post, pinning hopes on it becoming an economic gateway to reaching the annual border trade target of US$30-billion.

Anutin expressed deep appreciation to the Malaysian premier for co-chairing the event, praising the close collaboration between the two nations across all sectors, while highlighting both countries' commitments to maintaining peace and fostering economic growth in the southern provinces of Thailand and northern states of Malaysia.

The Sadao-Bukit Kayu Hitam crossing is Thailand's most vital border trade gateway with Malaysia and serves as a primary logistics artery for the entire region.

The Thai government anticipates that, once the connecting road becomes fully operational, it will alleviate congestion at the border, shorten waiting times and reduce logistics costs, enabling faster import and export processing and allowing farmers to transport their produce to markets more efficiently, while border tourism, hospitality and transport stand to benefit heavily.

At bilateral discussions held a day prior, both leaders agreed to expedite border development projects linking Songkhla–Kedah, Satun–Perlis and Narathiwat–Kelantan.

These initiatives will be paired with the promotion of special economic zones and streamlined immigration and customs procedures to improve livelihoods on both sides of the border.

The government expressed confidence that this infrastructure investment will attract new capital, generate jobs, boost local revenues and improve the quality of life for residents along the border.

The Sadao checkpoint alone accounts for more than 80% of the total border trade value between the two countries, underscoring its pivotal role as the heart of bilateral commerce.

It is located in Samnak Kham sub-district, Sadao district, within the Songkhla Special Economic Zone.

Spanning an area of over 95 hectares, the facility features 11 vehicle inspection lanes and 14 immigration booths per side. Its cargo terminal can accommodate up to eight inspection lanes each for inbound and outbound trucks and is equipped with two fast-scan X-ray systems, alongside truck weighbridges to increase the speed and precision of customs clearance.