Border economic zone development going on at steady pace: NESDC

Over five years -- from 2015 until May 2020 -- the value of investment in the special economic development zone amounted to Bt24.699 billion. There are 4,223 businesses with total registered capital of Bt8.409 billion. Most of the companies are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with about 98 per cent involved in construction, logistics, manufacturing garments, real estate and hotels, resorts and suites, aquatic products, electricity generation and wood products.
In addition to establishing new businesses, there were also requests for investment promotion from the Board of Investment (BOI) for another 75 projects totalling Bt11.043 billion for garments, plastics, pet food, vehicles, machinery and parts, construction equipment, hospitals, etc.
The private sector's investment in Trat, Kanchanaburi and Nakhon Phanom’s special economic development zones totalled Bt5.106 million.The number of privileges requested under the investment promotion measures of the Customs Department for two projects in Tak and Songkhla in the special economic development zone totalled Bt140 million.
As for the management of foreign workers in special economic development zones, it established a one-stop service centre for labour. The number of foreign workers coming to work in the area, between October 2017 to February 2020, totalled 385,487 people of different nationalities. Of the total, 344,478 people -- 155,361 Cambodian workers and 189,117 Myanmar workers -- came on a seasonal basis.
The NESDC said basic infrastructure development is on average about 70 per cent complete and key projects will be gradually completed by 2022. Many projects were completed in 2019, such as Highway 12 in Tak province, Mae Sot Airport building, the second bridge over Moei River, the new Sadao Customs checkpoint and the Mae Sot border checkpoint No 2.