Key Takeways
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Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has called for expedited road construction linking Thailand’s new Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) facility in Sadao District with Malaysia’s Bukit Kayu Hitam CIQS. This initiative was discussed during a Cabinet meeting on February 18, 2025, focusing on enhancing cross-border trade and connectivity.
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The new road alignment is part of broader border infrastructure development projects aimed at improving economic and transport links between Thailand and Malaysia. The Sadao-Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoints function as crucial gateways for trade and tourism.
- Although the construction was completed in 2019, issues with technical compatibility and infrastructure have delayed its opening. The Songkhla Provincial Administrative Organization is currently addressing these problems, with a projected completion date set for 2025.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the acceleration of road construction linking the new Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) in Sadao District of Songkhla and Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security (CIQS) in Malaysia.
After chairing the mobile Cabinet meeting on 18 February 2025 at Prince of Songkhla University, Songkhla Province, the Prime Minister followed up on the construction progress of the road alignment linking the new CIQ Sadao and ICQS Bukit Kayu Hitam and on cross-border trade.
The road alignment is part of the border infrastructure development projects, aimed at enhancing connectivity between Thailand and Malaysia. The Sadao-Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoints are seen as the busiest and largest economic, tourism, and transport gateway between the two countries.
Deputy Director-General of the Customs Department Yuthana Poolpipat reported that the construction work was completed in 2019, but the project is yet to be open for use because of some technical problems and infrastructural differences between the two countries. However, the Songkhla Provincial Administrative Organization is fixing the problems, and the project is expected to be fully completed by 2025.
