Bukit Bunga-Ban Buketa Bridge (Malay

Malay language

Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

: Jambatan Bukit Bunga-Ban Buketa) is a bridge crossing Kolok River

Kolok River

The Kolok River is the boundary river between Narathiwat Province, Thailand and Kelantan, Malaysia at the Malay Peninsula. The river flows into the Gulf of Thailand at Tak Bai district, Narathiwat Province....

  of the Malaysia-Thailand border

Malaysia-Thailand border

The Malaysia-Thailand border consists of both a land boundary across the Malay Peninsula and maritime boundaries in the Straits of Malacca and the Gulf of Thailand/South China Sea. Malaysia lies to the south of the border while Thailand lies to the north...

, connecting Bukit Bunga

Bukit Bunga

Bukit Bunga is a border village of the Malaysia-Thailand border in Kelantan, Malaysia. It is the latest border crossing between Malaysia and Thailand with the opening of the Bukit Bunga-Ban Buketa Bridge on December 21, 2007....

 town in Kelantan

Kelantan

Kelantan is a state of Malaysia. The capital and royal seat is Kota Bharu. The Arabic honorific of the state is Darul Naim, ....

 with Buketa

Buketa

Buketa is a subdistrict municipality in Waeng district, Narathiwat Province, Thailand. It covers an area of of the subdistrict Lochut, and as of 2007 has a population of 4,079. The municipality lies west of the Kolok River.-History:...

 village in Waeng

Amphoe Waeng

Waeng is the southernmost district of Narathiwat Province, southern Thailand.-History:The district goes back to the district Tomo , which was a subordinate of Mueang Ra-ngae. The village grew bigger and bigger because of the gold mining there. 1935 a minor district covering the central part of...

 District, Narathiwat Province

Narathiwat Province

Narathiwat is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Yala and Pattani. To the south it borders the Malaysian state of Kelantan. The southern railway line ends in this province that is one of the nation’s five provinces that borders Malaysia. The name of this...

, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

. It is the newest border crossing between Malaysia and Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

 and the second bridge crossing the Kolok river. The project was one of cooperative projects under the framework

Framework Agreement

Framework Agreement is a term that can refer to a number of international accords, including:* The Baker Plan on Western Sahara* The Agreed Framework between the United States of America and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...

 of Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT)

IMT-GT

The Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle started life as an early attempt at economic liberalization & integration in ASEAN. It was formally endorsed by Indonesia’s President Suharto, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Tun Dr...

.

The bridge project costed RM

Malaysian ringgit

The Malaysian ringgit is the currency of Malaysia. It is divided into 100 sen...

9.2 million, as both governments paid half each, and was given to a Malaysian contractor

General contractor

A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...

. The groundbreaking

Groundbreaking

Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are often attended by dignitaries such as politicians and...

 for the bridge had been held since October 14, 2004 by prime ministers of both countries. The construction, however, was delayed especially on Thai side, since the insurgency

South Thailand insurgency

An ethnic separatist insurgency is taking place in Southern Thailand, predominantly in the Malay Pattani region, made up of the three southernmost provinces of Thailand. Violence has increasingly spilling over into other provinces...

 around Thai provinces nearby was escalated. It took 11 months to be completed in 3 years later. It was officially opened on December 21, 2007 by both Malaysian Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Malaysia

The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, who in HM's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House of Representatives , the...

 Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Tun Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi is a Malaysian politician who served as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2009. He was also the President of the United Malays National Organisation , the largest political party in Malaysia, and led the governing Barisan Nasional parliamentary coalition...

 and Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont

Surayud Chulanont

General Surayud Chulanont is a Thai political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Thailand and head of Thailand's Interim Government between 2006 and 2008...

.