A Study of the Socioeconomic Potential of the Border Communities between Thailand and Cambodia to Support Changes Driven by the Effects of COVID-19, Surin Province

Abstract

     Changes in the domestic economy in goods and services have a significant impact both directly and indirectly on the addition of value to the economy. Establishing a strategy to strengthen ties with countries in the same region for economic stability has had an impact on the overall and local economies. Therefore, a study of the socioeconomic potential of the border communities between Thailand and Cambodia to support changes driven by the effects of COVID-19, Surin province, aimed to understand the context of cross-border trade, which leads to economic expansion and can drive localities to self-sufficiency. Documents, field studies, surveys, observations, interviews, and focus groups were used to collect data in the target areas. The data was descriptively reported.

     The socioeconomic potential of border communities between Thailand and Cambodia was growing. Following the COVID-19 incident, the Chong Chom market has been renovated to encourage economic expansion on the Thai-Cambodian border. The trading career of the community has begun to recover. After a three-year break, there was little effect on the quality of life because the communities used online sales as a secondary source of income throughout the crisis. In Chong Chom market, there was a lot of competition, investment, and product sales. Moreover, business owners had reserves to prevent liquidity issues. Cambodian consumers favor Thai products. The demand for almost all of the goods exported from Thailand has increased trade in exports. Thailand's roads were more convenient and faster, making it easier to transport goods from downtown.  However, the product's quality was still not as great as it should be because the market offered a wide range of product classes, including duty-free items and fake products. As a result, in order to increase the economic value of the Thai-Cambodian border trade market, entrepreneurs in the community must conduct additional market research as well as find more cost-effective product sources and plan for reserve funds for future market expansion. Shops should be renovated and cleaned regularly. The products should be diverse and have outstanding quality.

Keywords : Surin Province, Border communities between Thailand and Cambodia, Effects of COVID-19, Socioeconomic potential.