Malaysia is supplying sleepers and rails for free to the Cambodian government to ensure that building of the trans-Asia rail link can be accelerated, local media reported Monday.

The equipment, already shipped to the northern state of Perlis bordering Thailand, will be transported to Cambodia by the Thai government, who will bear the transportation cost, said Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad.

Badawi made the remarks to Malaysian reporters Sunday on the sidelines of the sixth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Finland.

Badawi, who arrived in Helsinki Saturday, said he has stated Malaysia's position on the rail link running from Singapore to Kunming of China during his meetings with his counterparts from Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Cambodia hopes that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) can resolve the two missing links, 48 km in Cambodia and 210 km from Cambodia to Vietnam, which have been plaguing the long proposed project.

Malaysia has undertaken the feasibility study and has been hosting the Singapore-Kunming Railway Link regional secretariat for three years since 2004.

A working group chaired by Malaysia will hold discussions with Chinese officials this November to secure their support for the project, said Badawi.

"The ASEAN-China Summit next month is also expected to discuss the issue as well as the financing problems affecting the missing links in Cambodia," said Badawi.

The rail link, spanning seven ASEAN countries covering Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar, was proposed during the ASEAN summit in 1995 with Malaysia as project coordinator.

Source: Xinhua