[PHNOM PENH POST]
Trade between Koh Kong and Thailand’s Trat province has remained robust
despite February’s border dispute, even as tourism statistics dropped,
local businesspeople claim.
“Thai merchants told me that Cambodia
was nearly their sole market. If they do not do business with
Cambodians, there will be no-one to do business with,” said Chreb Thy, a
52-year old Koh Kong resident, who earns his income shipping goods
between the countries by boat.
Koh Kong Deputy Governor Sun Dara said Thai imports to Koh Kong generally outpaced the Cambodian province’s exports.
Trat
province exports fruit, vegetables, and consumer goods to Cambodia,
while Koh Kong exports a much smaller volume of food – largely fish – in
return, he said.
Official trade statistics between the two
provinces were not available but Chreb Thy reckons Trat province exports
about 80 percent more to Koh Kong than the other way around.
“I
ship consumer goods, fruits, vegetables, and construction materials from
Thailand to Koh Kong,” he said. “My boat returns empty.”
Yang
Synath, a 34-year old fruit and vegetable vendor, said she had lost a
large amount of income during the border clashes, but trade quickly
picked up again following the end of hostilities.
“I had to throw
out my vegetables daily when the Cambodian and Thai troops fought. But
now, everything is back to normal,” she said last week.
Figures
obtained from the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh earlier this year show
Cambodia and Thailand’s bilateral trade reached US$2.557 billion in
2010, from $1.658 billion a year earlier – representing growth of 54
percent.
Cambodia’s exports to Thailand increased an annualised
176 percent to $215 million, compared with a 48 percent increase in Thai
exports to $2.342 billion in 2010 over 2009.
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