Trade
along the border is being affected by the fighting between Thai and
Cambodian troops.
Clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops near the
disputed Preah Vihear temple have affected trade and tourism businesses in
the area, as about Bt50 million ($1.67 million) in revenue would be lost
during the first few weeks, said Thanawat Palavichai, director of the
Economic and Business Forecast Centre at the University of Thai Chamber of
Commerce (UTCC).
Troops of the two countries exchanged gunfire and
artillery last weekend, causing heavy casualties on both sides, with several
houses on the Thai border sustaining damage.
Thanawat said tourism would be impacted most as between
10 to 20 percent of total tourists were expected to cancel their trips to
Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Siem Reap inside Cambodia within the first few
weeks.
However, trade in other areas along the border between
the two countries were not expected to be hurt much, he said.
Most of the border trade is conducted through the Thai
border district of Aranyaprathet, as about Bt20 billion change hands
annually, while trade at Trat border province is estimated at Bt10 billion,
Thanawat said.
As the cease-fire has been agreed by the two countries, he said the
impact is expected to be short-lived and the situation should return to
normal soon, he said. (MCOT online news)
