Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to upgrade four border checkpoints and open new checkpoints to boost bilateral trade and tourism along the border, with the aim of increasing trade volume between the two neighbors to $15 billion over the next five years. Prak Sokhon, Cambodia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai, met last week and agreed to upgrade four small border checkpoints – An Ses, Phnom Dei, Thmor Da and Chub Kokei – to international-standard checkpoints, according to a statement from the foreign ministry yesterday.

The two sides also agreed to work together to open the Stung Bot-Nong Earn international checkpoint, the statement said, adding that the two sides plan to open a new border checkpoint at O Neng-Banbaray. The two foreign ministers agreed to boost trade exchanges along the border, increase the number of goods-carrying trucks that cross the border and facilitate trade application procedures. The two sides also agreed to try to increase bilateral trade to $15 billion by 2020, three times more than the current total of $5 billion, the statement said.

Jirannan Wongmongkol, the commercial councilor at the Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, told Khmer Times recently that she believed that the $15 billion target over the next five years will be achieved, thanks to upgraded infrastructure in Cambodia and close ties between the two countries’ trade sectors. “Bilateral trade volume with Cambodia, we hope, will remain at a constant level since our government is urging all Thai traders to strengthen the quality of their products and promote new ones for Cambodia to import,” said Ms. Jiranan.

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A map would help

Unfortunately, the two governments don't seem to be interested in co-operating on inking out an agreement on the exchange of traffic rights for private vehicles. It's all good and well if more Thai trucks can enter Cambodia than the current 30 a day quota, but many of us and I'm sure quite a few Thai traders and tourists would like to know when we can more easily bring our cars across the border.

I know the AEC isn't the EU, but for two neighboring countries to not even be able to co-operate on something so simple is mind boggling. What are they so afraid of? In Europe, members states have allowed the free entry of each other's vehicles since the 1950s. Similarly, Thailand and Malaysia have allowed each other's vehicles entry since at least the 1970s (maybe even earlier). Yet in 2016, it is still all but impossible to do a road trip in your own car from Bangkok to Phnom Penh via Poipet.

The focus on lucrative trade is more understandable than the provision of ease for private vehicles and the burden of security/smuggling checks. AEC is a long step away from the EU open border situation.

The situation that exists with the Malaysian /Thai border is also likely to be a factor in the difficulty with the "insurgency" issues in South Thailand.

However other factors are likely to alter the priorities within a short time.