[Thailand's] Trat businesses prepare for boon as Cambodian industrial estate opens

Koh Kong SEZ 

Published: 9/12/2012 

Bangkok Post 

Writer: Jakkrit Waewkraihong 

Businesses in Trat province have been told by officials to shape up and prepare for massive new opportunities when Cambodia opens the Koh Kong Industrial Estate later this month.

The industrial estate, close to the Trat border, will be inaugurated by Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen on Dec 17, a decade after construction began. It is operated by the LYP Group, led by Koh Kong senator Lee Yong Pat, who is also an economic adviser to Hun Sen.

Thitidet Thongpat, deputy executive chief of LYP Group's Koh Kong International Resort Club, said conglomerates from Japan, South Korea and Thailand have invested in the new estate.

He said the new development would attract workers from nearby areas.

The Koh Kong estate will become a significant gateway for Cambodia's trade, tourism and industry, Mr Thitidet added.

Sornchai Sroihongprai, chief of the Custom Office in Trat's Khlong Yai, said business operators in the province must prepare for change as the estate's predicted growth over the next two to three years brings new business opportunities.

The office is now extending cargo checkpoint areas as well as constructing new parking spaces for containers in preparation for an inflow of goods, Mr Sornchai said.

He said he was concerned by the delay in Trat's 1.3 billion baht multi-purpose port, which still has not been approved by the government due to environmental concerns. The delay of the project could affect border area development in Trat's Khlong Yai district, he said.