ASEAN car rally will open NE to SE Asia: CM

GUWAHATI, Nov 15 – In what is being seen as an initiative that can give a fillip to bilateral ties between India’s North-East and its South-East Asian neighbours, Assam is all set to host the flag-down ceremony of the ASEAN India Car Rally-2012 that enters the State on December 16.

Promoting road connectivity, especially road transport, is a major objective of the rally, which also seeks to enhance bilateral trade and tourism.

The State Government will organize the flag-down ceremony at the Sarusajai Stadium complex on December 17. The occasion will be attended by a host of dignitaries from the ASEAN nations, including their trade ministers.

Addressing a joint press conference with visiting envoys of South East Asian nations, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today stressed the need for building on the historic ties shared by the two regions, saying that cooperation on areas liketrade, tourism and connectivity would throw open mutually-beneficial vistas.

“From history and ethnicity to culture and religion, the North-East has a lot in common with the ASEAN countries but that has not yet transformed into tangible benefits for the North-East in the manner expected. Occasions like thiscar rally can go a long way in bridging the gap and facilitate enhanced bilateral activities,” Gogoi said.

Answering a query from this correspondent, the Chief Minister said that the State Government was keen to have the historic Stilwell Road re-opened and was exerting pressure on the Centre towards that end.

“We are in favour of re-opening the Stilwell Road and have been pressurizing the Centre for having it opened. It would be in the interest of both North-East and SE Asia once it is opened,” he said.

The Stilwell Road built during World War II connects India’s North-East with China through Myanmar.

Pisan Manawapat, Ambassador from the Royal Thai Embassy, sounded confident that the car rally – which would also see many business-related meets and conferences side by side – would be the harbinger of a new era of bilateral cooperation between the two regions.

“Just as India perceives Assam and the North-East as a gateway to South East Asia, we also see it as the gateway to India…this celebration (car rally) is very meaningful and can lead to wide-ranging bilateral activities in terms of road transport, tourism, trade and people-to-people contact,” Manawapat said.

Envoys from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore attended the press conference.

This is the third time Assam would be hosting a non-competitive car rally organized by the Union Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as part of an endeavour towards greater sub-regional cooperation.

Sourced: assamtribune