Eastern seaboard of Thailand

Last updated June 27, 2024

The eastern seaboard of Thailand, more frequently known as the "Eastern Economic Corridor" (EEC), is a developing economic region which plays a key role in Thailand's economy. It is Thailand's center for export-oriented industries. High value goods, such as Japanese branded automobiles, which are manufactured there and shipped elsewhere, are among the many exports. The region includes Chonburi Province, Chachoengsao Province, and Rayong Province with Samut Prakan Province on the periphery.^[1]

Development

EEC development will cost 1.5 trillion baht in its first five years.^[2] The EEC is a key component of the "Thailand 4.0" economic policy announced in 2016.^[3] The prime minister has invoked the special powers of Section 44 of the interim charter three times already to remove obstacles to EEC development.^[4] Planners see the region as strategically important as it borders the gulf as well as being close to Bangkok, and its major airport.

Laem Chabang port, Thailand's largest and 23rd busiest container port in the world as of 2014, is the region's port. Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport, and the port are all linked by the Bang Na Expressway.

Two large infrastructure projects worth a total of 36 billion baht, both railways, were approved on 23 October 2007, to link Korat and Lat Krabang District in Bangkok with Laem Chabang port.^{[ citation needed ]}

Thai logistics firm Best Group and the Shenzhen (China) property company Hydoo International have raised US$3 billion to construct a giant financial technology, trade, and logistics centre on a site near Suvarnabhumi Airport. When complete, the centrepiece of the 2.5 square kilometre Trust City World Exhibition and Trade Centre will be a 100,000 m² exhibition hall. It would be the largest exhibition centre in the world. In addition to an exhibition venue, the project will also accommodate more than 20,000 wholesale shops, 5,000 business-class hotel rooms for traders and tourists, 6,000 less expensive rooms for employees, as well as serviced apartments, and 30,000 parking spaces. The project is expected to be completed by 2020.^[3]

Environmental impacts

Serious problems resulting from pollution have plagued the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Rayong, an industrial zone for petrochemical and heavy industries that has suffered from heavy metal and organophosphates poisoning. Factory workers in the region are among the highest paid in Thailand, often more than physicians in the region, but occasionally suffer physical ailments. A lawsuit filed by local villagers in 2007 led to a cascade of decisions that in 2009 stopped work on many projects under construction for not being in compliance with environmental provisions in the country's new constitution. ^[5]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rayong province</span> Province of Thailand

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Chonburi is a province of Thailand (changwat) located in eastern Thailand. Its capital is also named Chonburi. Neighbouring provinces are Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi, and Rayong, while the Bay of Bangkok is to the west. Pattaya, a major tourism destination in Thailand, is located in Chonburi, along with Laem Chabang, the country's primary seaport. The population of the province has grown rapidly and now totals 1.7 million residents, although a large portion of the population is floating or unregistered. The registered population as of 31 December 2018 was 1.535 million.

Si Racha is a district in Chonburi province, Thailand. Its center is the town of Si Racha, on the Gulf of Thailand, about halfway between Chonburi and Pattaya. The name Si Racha is from Sanskrit Śrī Rāja via Pali.

Eastern Thailand is a region of Thailand bordering Cambodia on the east, Northeastern Thailand in the north, and central Thailand on the west.

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is the state-owned rail operator under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport in Thailand.

Khlong Toei is a district in central Bangkok, long known for its slum. It is bordered by the Chao Phraya River and contains major port facilities. It is also the site of a major market, the Khlong Toei Market.

The Bay of Bangkok, also known as the Bight of Bangkok, is the northernmost part of the Gulf of Thailand, roughly extending from Hua Hin District to the west and Sattahip District to the east. Three of the major rivers of central Thailand empty into the bay - the Chao Phraya and its distributary Tha Chin, the Mae Klong and the Bang Pakong River. The bay forms the coast of 8 provinces, them being clockwise: Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, Samut Songkhram, Samut Sakhon, Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Chachoengsao, and Chonburi.

The Airport Rail Link (ARL) is an express and commuter rail line in Bangkok, Thailand. The line provides an airport rail link from Suvarnabhumi Airport, via Makkasan station, to Phaya Thai station in central Bangkok. Most of the line is on a viaduct over the main eastern railway. It is owned by State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and, since 2021, operated by Asia Era One Company Limited. The 28.6-kilometer (17.8 mi)-long Airport Rail Link opened for service on 23 August 2010.

Mueang Rayong is the capital district of Rayong province, Thailand. The provincial administration is in Tambon Map Ta Phut.

La-ngu is a district (amphoe) of Satun province, southern Thailand. La-ngu's port, Pak Bara, is the ferry port year-round for boats going to most of the islands in Tarutao Marine National Park, which includes Ko Lipe. It is now the proposed site of Thailand's deep-seaport on the Andaman Sea.

The Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate is a large industrial park in the town of Map Ta Phut in Rayong Province, Thailand. Part of Thailand's eastern seaboard economic region, it is the country's largest industrial estate and the world's eighth-largest petrochemical industrial hub. It was opened in 1990 and is managed by the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, a state enterprise under the Ministry of Industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-speed rail in Thailand</span> Overview of the high-speed rail system in Thailand

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Eastern Line is a railway line in Thailand, built and owned by State Railway of Thailand (SRT), located in Bangkok, Chachoengsao Province, Nakhon Nayok Province, Saraburi Province, Prachinburi Province, Sa Kaeo Province, Chonburi Province, and Rayong Province. It is the most important freight transport line in Thailand because there are many freight trains on the line. It was opened on 24 January 1907.

Laem Chabang is a port city municipality in Si Racha and Bang Lamung districts of Chonburi Province, Thailand. It includes Thung Sukhla subdistrict (tambon) and parts of subdistricts Bueng, Nong Kham and Surasak of Si Racha District and part of Bang Lamung township of Bang Lamung District. As of 2019 it had a population of 88,271. The city has grown up around the port, but also serves as a major stop on the coastal highway linking Pattaya and Bangkok via Sukhumvit Road. The city is also known for hosting a Japanese retirement community with specialty stores geared towards them.

The Eastern Economic Corridor (Abrv: EEC; Thai: ระเบียงเศรษฐกิจภาคตะวันออก, romanized: Rabīang Sētthakit Phāk Tawan-ǭk, RTGS: Rabiang Setthakit Phak Tawan-ok, pronounced[rā.bīa̯ŋsèːt.tʰā.kìtpʰâːktā.wān.ʔɔ̀ːk]) officially the Eastern Special Development Zone (ESDZ), is a special economic zone of three provinces in eastern Thailand. Collectively, these provinces occupy an area of 13,266 km² (5,122 sq mi), and in 2016 had an estimated population of over 2.8 million.

Chaophraya Surasak is a city in Chonburi Province, Thailand. It was established as a sanitary district in 1967. In 1999, all sanitary districts were upgraded to subdistrict municipalities. In 2013 it was upgraded to a city municipality. As of 2022, it has a population of 153,687. The city covers parts of five subdistricts (tambon) of Si Racha District, the ninth-largest urban city area in Thailand. The city is named after Chaophraya Surasakmontri.

The Don Mueang–Suvarnabhumi–U-Tapao high-speed railway, officially known as the High-Speed Rail Linking Three Airports Project is the second high-speed rail line project in Thailand, being due to open in 2029 between Don Mueang International Airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport and U-Tapao International Airport. It will be operated by Asia Era One Company Limited, a special-purpose vehicles by the consortium of Charoen Pokphand Group Company, Limited (CP) and partners Ch. Karnchang PLC. (CK), Bangkok Expressway and Metro PLC. (BEM), Italian-Thai Development PLC. (ITD) and China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC).

The Bangkok−Ban Chang Motorway, designated Motorway Route 7, is a motorway in Thailand, connecting Bangkok to Chonburi, Pattaya, and Map Ta Phut. The country's first intercity motorway, it is part of the Asian Highway Network as AH Route 19 and AH Route 123. The entire length from Bangkok to Pattaya is 125.865 kilometres (78.209 mi) and the posted speed limit is 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph), enforced primarily by speed cameras. An extension between Pong and Map Ta Phut opened in May 2020. It is part of the transport network development project in the eastern seaboard.

Bo Win, also written as 'Bowin', is a tambon (subdistrict) of Si Racha District, Chonburi Province, Thailand. It is a small town with a population of 40,000 that is known for its proximity to Pattaya district, and being a small industrial hub that is home to many factories. Bo Win is part of the Eastern Economic Corridor.

References

↑ Ono, Yukako (2018-02-20). "Thailand attempts do-or-die leap to a technology-driven economy". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
↑ Villadiego, Laura (23 July 2017). "THAILAND CHASES CHINESE MONEY, BUT AT WHAT COST?". South China Morning Post (SCMP). Retrieved 30 October 2017.
1 2 Hall, Tom (29 October 2017). "Empowering ASEAN exhibitions". Exhibition World. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
↑ Rujivanarom, Pratch (30 October 2017). "Critics slam NCPO order suspending city planning". The Nation. Archived from the original on 4 November 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
↑ Fuller, Thomas (December 18, 2009). "In Industrial Thailand, Health and Business Concerns Collide". New York Times. Retrieved 20 December 2009. MAP TA PHUT, Thailand — Villagers here avoid walking in the rain because they say it burns their skin and causes their hair to fall out.

External links

Eastern Economic Corridor Office of Thailand (EECO) ^{[ permanent dead link ]}

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[NAR-20180220-1] Ono, Yukako (2018-02-20). "Thailand attempts do-or-die leap to a technology-driven economy". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 6 May 2018.

[SCMP-20170723-2] Villadiego, Laura (23 July 2017). "THAILAND CHASES CHINESE MONEY, BUT AT WHAT COST?". South China Morning Post (SCMP). Retrieved 30 October 2017.

[EW-20171029-3] 1 2 Hall, Tom (29 October 2017). "Empowering ASEAN exhibitions". Exhibition World. Retrieved 30 October 2017.

[Nation-20171030-4] Rujivanarom, Pratch (30 October 2017). "Critics slam NCPO order suspending city planning". The Nation. Archived from the original on 4 November 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.

[5] Fuller, Thomas (December 18, 2009). "In Industrial Thailand, Health and Business Concerns Collide". New York Times. Retrieved 20 December 2009. MAP TA PHUT, Thailand — Villagers here avoid walking in the rain because they say it burns their skin and causes their hair to fall out.

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