Border pass set to open permanently

>> Senior Thai and Cambodian authorities will meet to set a date to officially upgrade the Ban Khao Din border pass to a permanent checkpoint, said immigration police.

Pol Col Benjapol Rodsawat, chief immigration police in Sa Kaeo, said preparations are under way to inaugurate the Ban Khao Din checkpoint, an upgrade from the current status as a border pass, in Khlong Hat district.

The opening date will be set at a meeting between the Sa Kaeo provincial governor and the governor of the Cambodian city of Battambang, which neighbours Sa Kaeo.

Pol Col Benjapol said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda signed an Interior Ministry announcement on the border pass upgrade on Feb 22 after the cabinet agreed to set up a permanent border checkpoint at Ban Khao Din in November 2016.

The checkpoint is expected to boost cross-border trade and tourism, as well as facilitate overland travels and freight delivery between the two countries.

The Ban Khao Din border pass currently opens from 6am to 10pm.

Pol Col Banjapol said t he decision on the upgrade cannot be implemented unilaterally.

Cambodia has agreed to the upgrade. He said the border control office is currently being renovated, and the necessary facilities and equipment have been brought in to serve the functions of the new checkpoint.

Experts said the checkpoint will create a permanent point of entry for people of both countries, which makes it easier to secure the border and regulate people passing through, while stimulating the local economy.