Bangkok: The private sector is keeping an eye on the Thai-Cambodian GBC meeting in Malaysia tomorrow, hoping for a positive conclusion.

According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Poj Aramwattananon, Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, stated that although the Thai and Cambodian military have agreed to a ceasefire, trade along the Thai-Cambodian border remains sluggish. All Thai-Cambodian border crossings remain closed. The private sector hopes that the Thai-Cambodian GBC meeting tomorrow in Malaysia will yield a positive conclusion. He also hopes that security and economic issues will be separated to allow for trade. Opening one or two border crossings would be better than completely closing them.

Mr. Kriangkrai Thienukul, President of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), mentioned that the value of Thai-Cambodian border trade in June fell to 28.732 billion baht, marking a 9.5% contraction. Thailand’s exports to Cambodia decreased by 11.2%, while imports remained positive. Therefore, a sector-by-sector assessment reveals the impact, with the longer the period, the greater the impact. Furthermore, businesspeople setting up factories or operating businesses in Cambodia, who need to import raw materials from Thailand for production, were also affected in the short term by the border closure, preventing goods from passing through. They had to order from other countries, but the short timeframe led to some problems. Regarding labor, after a large number of Cambodians gradually returned to their country, the impact is likely to be primarily in the agricultural sector. Therefore, the private sector will decide on the conclusion of tomorrow’s GBC meeting, which they hope will yield a positive solution for
both parties.