Thais and Cambodian tourists travel freely across the border at a checkpoint linking Trat province with Cambodia’s Koh Kong. Thai officials yesterday threatened to close the borders as a diplomatic row between the two countries continues to escalate. JAKKRIT WAEWKLAIHONGProtecting people and assets the concern
7/11/2009
Bangkok Post
Amid the rising tension after fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's appointment as an economic adviser to Cambodia, Thai businesses are highly concerned about the safety of their people and assets, but they say closing the borders should be a last resort.
Thailand's national energy flagship PTT has valuable assets in Cambodia and is monitoring developments closely. Should violence occur, it said its assets in the country would be protected by the Royal Thai Navy.
"So far we are in alarm mode since we have facilities worth billions of baht in Cambodia, even though they are located in areas far from conflict," said Kampong Kittitornkul, vice-president for international marketing.
PTT has a 50% market share from six service stations and three oil tank farms in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The rest of the market is held by France-based Total.
PTT's oil products stored in tanks include jet fuel, petrol, diesel, lubricant and fuel oil used in power plants. The oil tanks are located in Navy areas.
"The Thai business community has not seen any impact yet, but we have to be cautious," he said. "Our major concern is if the situation comes to the point of a border closure, whether our business can run as usual or not. We also need to prepare for immediate evacuation if riots break out.
"We hope the situation will not lead to violence as happened in 2003. So far, high-ranking officials in Cambodia are still attempting to calm down the local business community."
Logistics operators are wary a border closure will hurt not only trade with Cambodia but also within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
Sealing border trade with Cambodia affects co-operation to integrate GMS logistics networks. Last month, a trial run trucking goods from the Thai border to Ho Chi Minh City via Cambodia took place successfully, said Yoo Chienuenyongpong, a counsellor to Thai Logistics Alliance Co.
Chemical product shipments to factories in southern Vietnam would be affected, said Mr Yoo, also the president of the Land Transport Federation of Thailand.
"We should not let politics cause problems for people who are not involved in the dispute," he said.
"Vietnam is more important to us than Cambodia in terms of business opportunity. Our counterparts in China are concerned about growing disputes between Thailand and Cambodia because it might further delay our regional economic integration."
Land transport takes two nights and three days to reach Ho Chi Minh City from the Thai border, compared with 10 days by sea from Laem Chabang Port to Sihanoukville in Cambodia.
Thanet Sorat, vice-president of logistics service provider V-Serve Group, said tens of local logistics companies operating at the border and with Vietnam would be affected.
"These logistics companies are the second group of casualties after local residents if the disputes intensify and lead to border closure," Mr Thanet said.
"I think the issue should not be blown up to become a national agenda item to minimise the damage for the sake of the people and the business sector."
The Commerce Ministry is calling on people and business operators of both nations not to panic, as Thai trade officials and commercial counsellors in Cambodia have not been recalled yet even though the two countries' ambassadors have left their posts.
Border trade represents up to 80% of trade between the countries worth at least 50 billion baht a year.
Traditionally, commercial ministers are not recalled as the recall of Thailand's ambassador to Cambodia is strong enough to show the kingdom's disapproval with Hun Sen's embrace of Mr Thaksin.
Commerce permanent secretary Yanyong Phuangrach said that during emergencies, all Thai trade officials are told to be ready to help Thais doing business in Cambodia.
Thailand's national energy flagship PTT has valuable assets in Cambodia and is monitoring developments closely. Should violence occur, it said its assets in the country would be protected by the Royal Thai Navy.
"So far we are in alarm mode since we have facilities worth billions of baht in Cambodia, even though they are located in areas far from conflict," said Kampong Kittitornkul, vice-president for international marketing.
PTT has a 50% market share from six service stations and three oil tank farms in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The rest of the market is held by France-based Total.
PTT's oil products stored in tanks include jet fuel, petrol, diesel, lubricant and fuel oil used in power plants. The oil tanks are located in Navy areas.
"The Thai business community has not seen any impact yet, but we have to be cautious," he said. "Our major concern is if the situation comes to the point of a border closure, whether our business can run as usual or not. We also need to prepare for immediate evacuation if riots break out.
"We hope the situation will not lead to violence as happened in 2003. So far, high-ranking officials in Cambodia are still attempting to calm down the local business community."
Logistics operators are wary a border closure will hurt not only trade with Cambodia but also within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
Sealing border trade with Cambodia affects co-operation to integrate GMS logistics networks. Last month, a trial run trucking goods from the Thai border to Ho Chi Minh City via Cambodia took place successfully, said Yoo Chienuenyongpong, a counsellor to Thai Logistics Alliance Co.
Chemical product shipments to factories in southern Vietnam would be affected, said Mr Yoo, also the president of the Land Transport Federation of Thailand.
"We should not let politics cause problems for people who are not involved in the dispute," he said.
"Vietnam is more important to us than Cambodia in terms of business opportunity. Our counterparts in China are concerned about growing disputes between Thailand and Cambodia because it might further delay our regional economic integration."
Land transport takes two nights and three days to reach Ho Chi Minh City from the Thai border, compared with 10 days by sea from Laem Chabang Port to Sihanoukville in Cambodia.
Thanet Sorat, vice-president of logistics service provider V-Serve Group, said tens of local logistics companies operating at the border and with Vietnam would be affected.
"These logistics companies are the second group of casualties after local residents if the disputes intensify and lead to border closure," Mr Thanet said.
"I think the issue should not be blown up to become a national agenda item to minimise the damage for the sake of the people and the business sector."
The Commerce Ministry is calling on people and business operators of both nations not to panic, as Thai trade officials and commercial counsellors in Cambodia have not been recalled yet even though the two countries' ambassadors have left their posts.
Border trade represents up to 80% of trade between the countries worth at least 50 billion baht a year.
Traditionally, commercial ministers are not recalled as the recall of Thailand's ambassador to Cambodia is strong enough to show the kingdom's disapproval with Hun Sen's embrace of Mr Thaksin.
Commerce permanent secretary Yanyong Phuangrach said that during emergencies, all Thai trade officials are told to be ready to help Thais doing business in Cambodia.
7 comments:
Cambodia will not die without Thailand closing their fucken border? but for Thais people will die like rats poisoning....
Abhisit Vejjajiva trying to kills red shirts people instead....
Apeeshit was over reacting because of his PMS and he will need all the help from Maxi PAD to stop the blood. The morron did not even think when he wanted to close the border and did not even realize that this act will affect his people more. So now, his business people are starting to back tracking by saying that border closure will hurt them tremendously.
Go ahead, seal off the border and we'll see who blink first.
The Thais are a bunch of loonies ultra-nationalists...What is the matter with them??? It's true that we do not have economic experts, that's why Samdech Hun Sen hired Lee Myung Bak and now Thaksin. The Thais are ingrateful bastards who owe so much to Cambodia. They are imperialists who can not exert control beyond their borders...Instead of fostering fraternal friendship between our two peoples (Khmer-Thai) which share so much in common, they choose the wrong path to self-destruction and humiliation. In the eyes of the world, they are indeed a crazy disturbed people...
Agree with 9:00am!
To Hun Sen (Leader of the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime)
Since you and the CPP assassinated, executed, killed and murdered jurnalists, political opponents, leaders of the free trade union, innocent men, innocent women and innocent children;
Do you have any plan to assassinate the Thai prime minister (Abhisit Vejjajiva)?
Are you going to send Brigade 70 (Hun Sen's Death Squad Unit) to assassinate the Thai prime minister (Abhisit Vejjajiva)?
Is it true, you only kill your own peoples, you will not kill Thai and Veitnamese peoples that cannot get enough of our land?
Is it true, you only kill innocent Khmer peoples with no weapon in their hands?
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