Thailand reopens two border checkpoints with Malaysia

Thailand’s Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit (centre) predicts that the reopening of the two border checkpoints is estimated to raise bilateral trade between Thailand and Malaysia by at least 600 million baht per year. (Source: BangkokPost)

Thailand’s Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit expected the re-opening of those two border checkpoints in the Thai southern province of Narathiwat on November 15 will increase the nations’ trade by at least 600 million THB (18.32 million USD) a year.

The minister added that Thailand shares 97 border checkpoints with neighbouring countries, and 46 of them have resumed cross-border activities thanks to an improvement in the COVID-19 situation, as reported by the Thai news site The Nation.

“In the first nine months of this year, cross-border trade stood at 1.27 trillion THB, a 31.67 percent increase from the same period in 2020,” the minister was quoted as saying by the site. “Exports contributed 778.36 billion THB, marking a 38.06 percent increase year on year, while imports were worth 497.17 billion THB, expanding 22.78 percent year on year.”

The Commerce Ministry said Malaysia is Thailand’s No 1 cross-border trade partner, with total trade volume in the first nine months of 2021 recorded at 239 billion THB, up 36.47 percent year on year and is responsible for 35.73 percent of all cross border trade volume.

Jurin added that the government is also working with Cambodian authorities to open more border checkpoints, including Tha Sen in Trat and Nong Ian in Sa Kaew provinces./.

VNA