Bangladesh and Myanmar to open first road link

DHAKA, July 27 (Reuters) Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a deal today to build the first road between the two countries in an effort to boost trade and tourism.

Construction of the 25-km (16-mile) road connecting Bangladesh's Maricha area to Bawlibazar in Myanmar will begin later this year, officials said.

Most of the road will be inside Myanmar with only 2 km in Bangladesh. Dhaka will meet the estimated 21.75 million dollars cost for constructing the road, expected to be completed in three years, they said.

''We hope to continue our project to connect the Asian highway to go up to China, Thailand and India,'' Myanmar's minister for construction, Major-General Saw Tun, told reporters in Dhaka.

REUTERS GT RN1627