Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday agreed with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that an ambitious international rail link to China must be completed.

He said the long-delayed US$68-million (Bt2.5 billion) railway project linking Sisophon to Poipet needed to be realised.

The trans-national project would eventually link Malaysia and Kunming in China.

During a sidelines meeting at the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in Finland, Thaksin said Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia had agreed on the railway plan in the early 1990s.

At present, a 48-kilometre link between Sisophon and Poipet remained incomplete as did a 250-kilometre stretch in Vietnam.

Thaksin rejected a request from Cambodian leader Hun Sen for $13 million (Bt486 million) in soft loans to finance the project, and told him to approach the Asian Development Bank instead.

Thailand wanted Thai construction companies to secure the railway contracts.

Thailand agreed to pay $100,000 for the transport of Malaysian rail track from Padang Besar to Aranyaprathet for use in the Cambodia section of the link.

Thaksin said more details would emerge at the Asean-China summit in Nanning, China, in October.

Thaksin also met with 13 Asian leaders ahead of the main Asem forum.

He reported Asian members had agreed to admit India, Mongolia and Pakistan to Asem and said their status should be endorsed at the next meeting.

Russia expressed interest in joining as an Asian member. Thaksin welcomed the inclusion of Russia, saying that it would give the Asian side more weight at the Asem table.

Thaksin said European leaders wanted to know more about conflicts in Asia such as North Korea, East Timor and Aceh. But, instead of acting passively, Asian leaders should push for Europe to explain conflicts in its region, he said.

"They should explain to us conflicts in Europe such as Cyprus, the IRA and Iraq, instead of us giving a one-way explanation," he said.

Asem will make a declaration at the conclusion of the 10th Asem meeting in Finland.

It would outline the group's future direction and include "cross dimensional linkages between politics, economics and social-cultural issues".

It would say Asem members must take the lead on issues in which they have participating interests and expertise.

The role of Asem coordinators should be clearly defined and Asem should have a virtual secretariat.

Jeerawat Na Thalang

The Nation

Helsinki