Thailand
Laos, Thailand maintain security to facilitate economic cooperation
Senior officials of Laos and Thailand have agreed to maintain security and order along the border and to reinforce economic cooperation between the two nations.
These were among the key outcomes of a meeting in Vientiane on Tuesday between governors of Lao and Thai provinces that share borders along the Mekong River and on land.
The governors of nine provinces of Laos attended the meeting which was co-chaired by the Champassak provincial Governor, Dr Bounthong Divixay.
Speaking to Vientiane Times yesterday, Dr Bounthong highlighted the outcomes of the meeting, during which the two sides concurred on upholding border security to facilitate border crossings and to boost economic and tourism cooperation.
The two sides stressed the need to further address issues related to illicit drugs (notably amphetamines) and human trafficking across the border, as well as the matter of migration and illegal border crossing activities, Dr Bounthong said.
We also agreed to extend the working hours at border checkpoints between the two countries to maximise further opportunities for tourism and economic cooperation.
Economically, Laos and Thailand have a long tradition of cooperation. Bangkok remains a main trading partner of Vientiane, with trade and investment having increased over the past few years.
Major exports from Laos to Thailand include electricity, copper, tobacco, vegetables and minerals. Laos, in turn, imports fuel, vehicles, electronic items and m achinery from Thailand.
Exports from Laos to Thailand touched US$2 billion last year, while imports were worth US$2.59 billion, according to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
In Champassak province, Thai entrepreneurs are involved in several contract farming projects. As a result, a huge volume of vegetable and crops is shipped to Thailand daily.
In 2015, the value of vegetable and crops exported from the province to Thailand hit US$22 million, and the figure rose to US$53 million in 2016.
Several Thai entrepreneurs are also investing in the development of tourist sites in Champassak, particularly waterfalls, as this entices more tourists from Thailand.
Dr Bounthong said Champassak has good cooperation with Ubon Ratchathani province of Thailand, notably in economic matters.
In the field of tourism, as Laos and Thailand have similar languages and cultures, many thousands of Lao nationals visit Thailand annually and many Thais also visit Laos.
An estimated 1.4 million Lao nationals travelled to Thailand last year, making Laos the fifth largest source of international arrivals for the country.
Two million Thai nationals visited Laos in 2016, representing half of the 4 million foreign visitors recorded. Of the 2 million, an estimated 70 percent of Thais spent at least one night in Laos, while 600,000 made day trips.
Source: http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/FreeContent/FreeConten_Laost.htm