Foreign Ministers discuss hopes of resolving the issue of the ‘Sa Kaeo Special Economic Zone’

Sa Kaeo, "Maris", Minister of Foreign Affairs, discusses with local private sector, hoping to solve the issue of delaying the "Sa Kaeo Special Economic Zone". Mr. Maris Sengiampong, Minister of Foreign Affairs, visited the Sa Kaeo Industrial Estate to study the trade and investment situation in the Thai-Cambodian border area and follow up on the progress of the development of the Sa Kaeo Special Economic Zone and the promotion of Thai-Cambodian border trade according to the agreement that the two leaders agreed upon. In the past, the investment that was promoted by BOI and has been implemented in 4 special economic zone sub-districts in Thailand, namely Pak Kha Sub-district, Ban Dan Sub-district, Tha Kham Sub-district, and Pa Rai Sub-district, has accumulated value since 2015 at 8,142 million baht. The business types are plastic packaging, animal feed, sugar products, and sanitary products. Sa Kaeo area has potential and can still be developed because it has the strength to attract agricultural and food pr ocessing businesses such as sugarcane, cassava, and animal feed corn . Mr. Maris listened to the exchange of opinions from representatives of relevant government and private agencies in the area, reflecting that the special economic zone area, which started the project in 2015, was not very successful in attracting investment in the area, even though the infrastructure is ready, due to regulatory obstacles such as city planning and environmental protection that are not yet conducive. The Ban Pa Rai customs checkpoint has been completed but has not yet been opened for use. In addition, entrepreneurs have also requested the government to help open Nong Eian checkpoint as a permanent border crossing point as soon as possible to facilitate cross-border trade. Meanwhile, Mr. Suravut Wongsamran, Vice President of the Sa Kaeo Chamber of Commerce, expressed his concerns that Sa Kaeo Province is considered the most important trade and investment gateway between Thailand and Cambodia. In 2023, Thai-Cambodian border t rade in Sa Kaeo Province was worth 102 billion baht, accounting for 61.35 percent of the total Thai-Cambodian border trade, and decreased by 22.11 percent compared to 2022 due to several reasons, ranging from cheaper products from China to competing on prices, such as consumer goods, seafood, and Cambodia not providing special tax privileges to Thai SMEs as usual. 'In developed countries, border trade can travel seamlessly. The promotion of Sa Kaeo's special economic zone must emphasize its strength, which is the ability to travel to Laem Chabang by land, taking only 1.5 hours. As for other demands, we have received information and will use the feedback received from this field visit to discuss the possibilities with relevant agencies and the Cambodian side,' said Mr. Maris. The discussion came after Mr. Maris said at the opening ceremony of the Sa Kaeo Passport Office earlier in the day that the Sa Kaeo Passport Office was urgently established in accordance with the Prime Minister's wishes, who saw the pot ential of trade and investment in Sa Kaeo Province, which would lead to the well-being of its people, and not just issuing passports to Thais. 'Foreign policy is public policy, which means creating well-being for the people and something that can be touched,' said Mr. Maris. The Passport Office began providing services informally on February 27 and has received more than 6,000 requests from the people. Source: Thai News Agency