Border businesses slow down in lead-up to ICJ's Nov 11 ruling

SI SA KET, November 7 (TNA) - Trade and tourism in Thailand's northeastern Si Sa Ket Province, bordering Cambodia, becomes relatively quiet in the lead-up to a forthcoming ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on a territorial case related to the ancient Preah Vihear Temple along the common border. Atmosphere at Chong Sa-ngam Thai-Cambodian permanent border crossing in Si Sa Ket's Phu Sing district was quiet although there is normally a weekly market on Thursdays, as the number of Cambodian buyers has dropped significantly. Normally, at least 1,000 Cambodians visit the weekly market, but public concerns over negative subsequences, after the Hague-based ICJ's verdict on November 11, have caused a slowdown in trade and other businesses along the Thai-Cambodian border. Border locals of Phum Saron Village in Si Sa Ket have particularly followed updates closely and prepared for any emergency, as the World Court's verdict is approaching, even though they have continued their normal lives. In Sa Kaeo province in the Thai East, also bordering Cambodia, Cambodian people have entered Thailand through the Aranyaprathet Immigration Checkpoint to work at Rong Klua Market as usual, some of them have, however, stocked up supplies for a feared closure of the border checkpoint following the ICJ's verdict. A vice president of an association of Thai-Cambodian border trade and tourism in Chantaburi province in the Thai East, also bordering Cambodia, told reporters that no matter how the World Court rules on the territorial dispute, Thai and Cambodian border traders have agreed to maintain their cooperation to avoid a massive lose of their trade worth tens of millions of baht daily and direct negative impacts on people of both countries. Meanwhile, demonstrators of the Dharma Yatra group started to march from Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district on a 11-kilometer distance to receive more demonstrators who are expected to arrive in the border area during the coming weekend to further march to a 4.6-square-kilometer disputed area surrounding the Preah Vihear Temple, as they have announced. Thai Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha insisted on good relations between Thailand and Cambodia, but the Second Army Area Command has increased border patrols and maintained the strength of Thai border forces as a precaution, while helping create proper understanding among locals in all dimensions in the lead-up to the ICJ's ruling. (TNA)