Cambodian fish vendors block border bridge with fish to protest Thai import tax hike

[webfact]

Cambodian fish vendors block border bridge with fish to protest Thai import tax hike

 

 

ARANYAPRATHET: -- Cambodian fish vendors staged a protest against Thai import tax hike by throwing their cat fish in the middle of the Friendship Bridge at Klong Loek-Poipet border point and blocked the border crossing traffic, stranding hundreds of cargo-laden trucks bound for Cambodia.

 

The Cambodian fish vendors complained that the Thai customs had recently increased the import tax for Cambodian fish to between 1,500-2,000 baht for one cartload of fish from 300-500 baht for a cartload of between 100-200 kilogrammes.

 

They claimed that the import tax hike had made it impossible for them to make decent profits.

 

As a gesture of protest against the tax hike, the vendors poured cat fish onto the middle of the Friendship Bridge and used their push carts to block traffic on the bridge, making it impossible for vehicles to travel in and out of the borders between the two countries.

 

The protest prompted Aranyaprathet district chief officer Saovanit Sirakul na Ayudhya and Thai customs officials as well as military personnel to rush to the scene to demand talks with representatives of the fish traders.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/cambodian-fish-vendors-block-border-bridge-fish-protest-thai-import-tax-hike/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-02-24

[Brer Fox]

Like Thailand, Cambodia is one of the members of free trade ASEAN group so why an increase to "import" tax? I suspect this is one of those "taxes" that goes into the hip pockets of the Thai border officials.

[tompelli]

More like why an import tax at all? Free trade agreements must be different in Asean or were they Chinese fish assembled in Cambodia? 

[Briggsy]

2 minutes ago, tompelli said:

More like why an import tax at all? Free trade agreements must be different in Asean or were they Chinese fish assembled in Cambodia? 

You are under a misconception. ASEAN free trade agreements have many categories of goods excepted from zero tariffs.

[alant]

6 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

You are under a misconception. ASEAN free trade agreements have many categories of goods excepted from zero tariffs.

so what is the point of ASEAN? 50 years on and I can see nothing other than the occasional conference that  has made this a free trade area. Welcome examples where it has...

[Briggsy]

1 minute ago, alant said:

so what is the point of ASEAN? %0 years on and I can see nothing other than the occasional conference that  has made this a free trade area. Welcome examples where it has...

You appear to confusing ASEAN with the EU. They are very different animals with very different goals. Although both employ the strength in unity concept.

 

Here's a link

 

Note the use of "aims" rather than a finalised goal.

[tompelli]

I think it is more the over-use of the term free trade. I can well understand that there are tariffs on products that are linked to national interests. Thailand with one of the largest fishing fleets in the world needs protection from a few Cambodian cat fish carts. Bit  like free speech. Thanks Briggsy, can't say I've looked at the detail in Asean trade agreements. 

[MarkusAUST]

Increase from 3-500 a load to 1,500-2,000. That's quite an increase.

Given there was no expanation for the dramatic rise, and no official tax documents shown, you would have to agree with the Khmers that it was all a bit fishy!

Yeah, sorry.