Thailand-China railway under construction

2017-12-23 12:37 Last Updated At：12-24 18:41

The construction work has begun on Thailand’s first high-speed railway – the Thailand-China high-speed railway. It is also the country’s biggest Belt and Road project, marking the dawn of a new era in Thai rail travel.

A groundbreaking ceremony took place at the midway point of somewhere called Nakhon Ratchasima on Thursday. The place was chosen because it’s the spot where, in 1900, Thailand’s first major rail line was completed.

The rail network has been neglected in Thailand. There have been few improvements since it was built 100 years ago, as the country looked instead towards roads and air travel.

Riding trains is cheap, but they’re old and slow – pulled by diesel locomotives the average speed across the country is just 50 km/h. Because of the ageing track, derailments are common.

The trains stop at many stations, and as a result journeys seem to take forever. People take the train for sightseeing, and only if they’re not in a hurry.

However, after years of planning and negotiation, a start has now been made on the country’s first new rail system.

An impressive 600-kilometer track is planned, from the capital Bangkok to the city of Nong Khai, at Thailand’s northeastern border with Laos. Brand-new electric trains will run at speeds of up to 250 km/h. A journey that now takes 10 to 12 hours will be cut to just three and a half.

The scheme is a partnership between China and Thailand.

Thailand will own the network and is paying the cost of 12 billion US dollars, while the expertise comes from China, which will design the railway and supply the trains.

The construction work has already started to sink pilings into the ground to support the new super-fast track. It’ll take three to five years to complete the whole project.

“On behalf of the Chinese government and myself, I would like to thank everyone who is collaborating on this project. It’s win-win for all of us,” said Wang Xiaotao, vice chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission.

The Thai government hopes the new train will tempt more people to use the railway, which will slash journey times, be more comfortable and safer. Also, it will make the picturesque – but remote – northeast of Thailand accessible to those who must work in the capital but want to have a home in the country.

“The Thai government is committed to infrastructure development to enhance regional connectivity and the facilitation of cross-border economic links,” said Prayuth Chan-o-cha, prime minister of Thailand.

In the future it’s planned to continue the railway north through Laos to south China. In the opposite direction, it’s hoped to push south through Malaysia to Singapore, creating a Trans-Asian rail network.

That would provide new routes for travel, tourism and freight transport – a perfect example of China’s Belt and Road vision to boost connectivity between nations.

Takeaways from AP's report on Greenlanders resisting Trump's talk of acquiring their homeland

2025-03-04 14:17 Last Updated At：14:31

NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Greenlanders have been pushed into the global spotlight in the weeks since U.S. President Donald Trump said America could take over their Arctic homeland. Most say they don’t want to be American. Many are worried and overwhelmed by the comments and the attention. But also hopeful. They say Trump’s comments have ignited unprecedented interest in full independence from Denmark — a key issue in a parliamentary election on March 11. Here’s a look at various elements of Greenland’s remarkable circumstances:

Greenland is vital to the world, though much of the world may not realize it. The U.S and other global powers covet its strategic location in the Arctic; its valuable rare earth minerals trapped under the ice needed for telecommunications; its billions of barrels of untapped oil. There’s also potential for shipping and trade routes as the ice that covers most of Greenland keeps retreating because of climate change. If that ice melts, it would reshape coastlines across the globe and potentially shift weather patterns.

Greenland is massive — about one-fifth the size of the United States or three times the size of Texas. Its land mass is part of North America, and its capital city is closer to New York than to Copenhagen.

Most of the 57,000 Greenlanders are Indigenous Inuit. They take pride in a culture and traditions that have helped them survive for centuries in some of the most rugged conditions. In their close link to nature. In belonging to one of the most beautiful, remote, untouched places on Earth.

Many in this semi-autonomous territory are offended by Trump’s threats to seize control of their homeland, even by force, because he says the U.S. needs it “for national security.”

Denmark colonized Greenland 300 years ago and still exercises control over foreign and defense policy, though Greenland won self-rule in 1979 and runs itself through its parliament.

Trump’s comments about Greenland set off a political crisis in Denmark. The prime minister went on a tour of European capitals to garner support, saying the continent faced “a more uncertain reality,” while her country moved to strengthen its military presence around Greenland.

Greenland’s economy depends on fisheries and other industries as well as on an annual grant of about $600 million from Denmark.

Aka Hansen, an Inuk filmmaker and writer, is suspicious of Trump’s intentions but still thanks him for turning the world’s attention to her homeland.

Like many other Greenlanders, she wants her homeland and people to be respected and she doesn’t want to be ruled by another colonial power. But she feels Trump’s rhetoric has increased the momentum for independence from Denmark.

Denmark has been accused of committing abuses against Greenland’s Inuit people, including removing children from their families in the 1950s with the excuse of integrating them into Danish society and fitting women with intrauterine contraceptive devices in the 1960s and 1970s — allegedly to limit population growth in Greenland.

No, but his son, Donald Trump Jr. did — landing in Nuuk, the capital city, in January in a TRUMP-emblazoned plane.

And journalists from all corners have descended on Nuuk, asking locals what they think of Trump’s words. Pro-Trump media influencers known as the NelkBoys arrived handing out MAGA hats and $100 bills to children in Nuuk’s streets.

In his first term as president, Trump began to talk about acquiring Greenland from Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally. Back in 2019, most dismissed it. But it had a ripple effect — and he revived the topic soon after starting his second term in January.