New Thai–Malaysian Border Crossing Opens

Despite a Thai-Malaysian cooperation project agreement to open such a border crossing, it has been about a decade so far that Ban Prakob border town in Na Thawi district has not properly functioned as a Thai border crossing, as only 20% of the project’s work has been done on the Thai side since the agreement was signed.

On the other hand, public buildings and infrastructure have long been constructed and ready on the Malaysian side of the border.According to local Thai residents, the main problem obstructing the project was compensation to local residents for expropriated land.

“In my opinion, if compensation is paid for the land expropriated here,” said a local resident, “there’d be no problem and the project could of course continue. It’s been a problem that landowners were not paid when their land was taken, so everything’s held up.” He said he was uncertain whether the compensation problem originated with the government or elsewhere.

Two years ago, many merchants came to Ban Prakob to open shops and restaurants in the hope that the local economy would be vibrant. As the area is the closet to Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur, compared to other checkpoints in Thailand’s Songkhla province, the vendors also believed the new border crossing would attract large numbers of shoppers from both countries to daily travel through the border crossing.

However, several had to close their businesses due to the construction delays of the project.

“This is humiliating. All the Malay buildings and infrastructure are finished, and attractive, while ours is still a building site with only containers and building frameworks,” said a local merchant.

She lamented that public utilities– electricity and the water system– on the Malaysian side are appropriately installed, but the Thai side must rely on electric generators. Without them, the Thai area looks like a dark and dangerous jungle.

Nonetheless, the border crossing at Ban Prakob was officially be opened by Thai authorities on January 10, despite unfinished public offices and infrastructure, because the Thai–Malaysian cooperation project agreement indicated that the border crossing must open within ten years after the accord was signed, and the time is up.

According to the Thai authorities, Thailand will speed up and finish all its construction within two years.

“This area must be developed to equal the area across the border in Malay territory, and we’re working on it. The problem now is paying local residents for the land which has been used. We are working on getting a government budget for the compensation,” said Songakhla governor Winyu Tongsakul.