Thailand, Cambodia to discuss reopening of border crossing

BANGKOK, June 4 (TNA) - Thai authorities will soon discuss conditions for the reopening of a border crossing in Buri Ram Province in the Thai Northeast with neighboring Cambodia. Buri Ram Governor Seri Seehatrai first discussed the conditions with representatives of the provincial public and private sectors at the Provincial Hall on Wednesday morning. The discussion was aimed at preparing his negotiation with Cambodian authorities on the reopening of the Chong Sai Taku temporary border pass in the Chan Thob Phet locality of Buri Ram's Ban Kruat District, adjacent to Cambodia' Chup Koki Village. The temporary border crossing has been closed for two weeks due to an order by the army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), after it staged a coup on May 22, in order to prevent the movement of armed men and the smuggling of weapons into Thailand. The two-week closure has affected border trade and local Thai and Cambodian traders in the area, where the value of border trade has risen to 2 million baht a week on average, from 300,000-400,000 baht previously. Buri Ram's authorities plan to discuss conditions on the screening of people crossing the border with their Cambodian counterpart to prevent the movement of armed men and the smuggling of weapons to create unrest in Thailand. If Cambodian authorities accept the Thai conditions, the Thai counterparts will also propose the reopening of the Chong Sai Taku temporary border crossing three days a week, instead of two, to boost border trade, incomes of local people and bilateral relations, starting from June 14. (TNA)