SURIN, June 17 (TNA) – Traders at Thailand’s Chong Chom border crossing remain hopeful that both sides will avoid further trade barriers, despite no immediate signals from Thai authorities to fully reopen the vital gateway.
The Chong Chom permanent border crossing, located in Surin’s Kab Choeng district, has been intermittently closed for a week. Last year, this crossing facilitated over 6 billion baht in Thai exports. Thailand recently slashed its operating days to just three per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) and hours to seven daily, a sharp reduction from the previous 16-hour, seven-day-a-week schedule.
This move has severely impacted Chong Chom’s economy. Hopes for normalcy dimmed further after Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen reportedly threatened to ban Thai fruit and vegetable imports unless regular border operations resume. This potential ban has caused significant anxiety among border market vendors. One fruit vendor from Chanthaburi, who has traded at Chong Chom for 12 years, saw her daily sales plummet from 40,000 baht to just over 10,000 baht. She fears an import ban would be catastrophic, given that 60% of her customers are Cambodian.
Evacuation Preparedness and Local Harmony
Amidst the tensions, the local chief of Dan sub-district affirmed readiness for evacuation plans. Security forces, recognizing more advanced weaponry, have pushed evacuation points further from the border—from over 20 kilometers during the 2011 clashes to 40-50 kilometers into neighboring districts. The chief emphasized that despite the situation, there are no internal conflicts between villagers from both sides, who “live like relatives.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is set to observe an evacuation drill in Dan sub-district on June 22. Local residents are closely monitoring border news to swiftly adapt to any changes, while security officials conduct annual evacuation drills in these border villages. -819 (TNA)
