An international legal association is calling for a moratorium on expansion work at Burma’s special economic zones (SEZs), a key component of the country’s development agenda.

For centuries, the Irrawaddy River has served as Burma’s main riverine artery, but what does the future hold for this important waterway?

Plans for the Dawei special economic zone have inched ahead after the Burmese government agreed to borrow 4.5 billion baht ($128 million) from Thailand to finance the construction of a road from Dawei’s proposed deep­-sea port to Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province.

Thai firm Italian­Thai Development Plc (ITD) says it is ready to restart construction of the long­delayed Dawei deep­sea port and special economic zone over the next few months if the Thai and Burmese governments approve continuation of the megaproject at a joint meeting on 10 February.

The Thai private sector is being urged to set up industrial estates or special economic zones (SEZs) in Burma as the neighbouring country emerges as a magnet for foreign investment.

The Thai government is stepping up efforts to boost the Rangoon-­Mae Sot trade link by approving a 1.8 billion baht ($53 million) budget to help Burma develop part of its road along the transnational route.