Thaksin's appointment may affect border trade, tourism

The Nation (Thailand)

Publication Date: 12-11-2009

Two Cambodians got into a fistfight at a market in the border town of Poi Pet yesterday (November 11) morning over ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra's appointment as economic advisor to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

"One man supports Hun Sen's decision but the other man believes Thaksin's appointment would only strain ties between Thailand and Cambodia," Chua Dee, a 35-year-old Cambodian who sells second-hand shoes in the Rong Klua market on the Thai side, said about the fistfight yesterday.

"If the border checkpoints are closed because of Thaksin's appointment, then many Cambodians will definitely be against him," he added.

Still, it was business as usual at the Rong Klua market yesterday, and Sa Kaew Governor Sanit Naksuksri said the market's total sales were well above 20 million baht (US$600,961) every day.

"Closing the border will not be good for trade and export," he warned.

Thousands of Cambodians walk into Thailand via the Ban Khlong Luek checkpoint in Sa Kaew's Aranyaprathet district every day and were doing so yesterday as well.

However, a lecturer at the Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University believes the Thai government should take a harder stance against Cambodia.

"The government should consider whether it's time to close the borders. Businessmen should understand that the country's sovereignty comes first. The government should also decide if Cambodian workers should be allowed to stay in Thailand," Samart Jabjone said.

Samart, who chairs a network of Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University lecturers and students, said he would be joining the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) rally in Sanam Luang on Sunday.

"Regardless of the colour of our shirts, we will be there to declare our intention to protect Thailand's national interests," he said.

On the other hand, a Thai tour operator complained that the souring of ties between the two nations had already cost her a few million baht in lost opportunities.

"At least 80 of my customers have cancelled their trips to Cambodia," Duangrudee Apapon, owner of the Avia Angker Travel Company, said, adding that tour guides and tour-bus operators were also feeling the pinch.

"Those not living near the border may not understand our plight, but we are really hurting," Duangrudee said.