January 20, 2023. (Narinjara)

Sittwe Port, built by the IndianGovernment in Sittwe Rakhine State, will be designated as an internationalport and opened soon, the Rakhine State Government said.

The port is a part of the KaladanMulti-Modal Transit Transport Project, which will be important in the tradesector between Myanmar and India. Now that all the construction work hasbeen completed, the opening ceremony of the port will be held soon.

However the exact date of theopening ceremony has not yet been determined Rakhine State Governmentspokesperson and advocate-general U Hla Thein told Narinjara.

India’sCabinet Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal alsoconfirmed that Sittwe Port is ready for practical use, India’s NDTV News broadcastedrecently.

There was originally a plan toopen the new port this month, people close to the Rakhine State Governmentsaid. But at the moment, a large Indian cargo ship is heading toSittwe, and the opening will be only be possible after the vessel docks.

On the other hand, the Junta Chiefof the Military Council Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is atNgapali beach in Thandwe Township on January 19th, to attend the 8th High-LevelCommittee Meeting with Chief of Defense Forces of the Royal Thai Armed ForcesGeneral Chalermphon Srisawasdi. There is a possibility that he will cometo Sittweto that meeting, and only then will the opening ceremony of the new port be held.

When Sittwe Port is opened, therewill be direct trade between India and Rakhine State, so it will be beneficial notonly for Rakhine State but also for the economy of Myanmar, REICRakhine Economic Initiative Public Co., Ltd Vice President U Khin Maung Gyi, arenowned Rakhine businessman, commented..

“If we get more trading freedomfor Rakhine State, there offer many benefits for import and exportbusinesses. We can already see the potential for this tohappen. Rakhine State will also need to work harder to produce its main product,agricultural goods, for export to India and other countries”, he said.

The new Sittwe Port startedconstruction in 2009 funded by India, and will be leased by the IndianGovernment for 30 years under the BTO system.

The port is a part of the KaladanMulti-Modal Transit Transport Project, which will facilitatethe trade sector between Myanmar and India.

Myanmar and India signed aMemorandum of Understanding in 2018 to implement the KaladanMulti-Modal Transit Transport Project, with India committed to invest nearly US$500million. The project aims to export goods by water from Sittwe to Paletwa,and fromPaletwa to Mizoram State in India by road.

To connect Sittwe in Rakhine Stateand Chin State's Paletwa by waterway along the KaladanRiver, proper ports need to be built in both townships. So goods can be transportedfrom Sittwe to Paletwa along the Kaladan River, and continue the journey fromthere to Mizoram by road.

NDTV News also reported that a117-kilometer-long two-lane road is now being constructed from Lawngtlai District inMizoram to the Myanmar border. It will take some time tocomplete the construction of the road, but after the work is completed, the KaladanMulti-Modal Transit Transport Project will be fully operational.