Border Trade Management in the Upper North of Thailand

Abstract

       This research was to study the border trade situations, patterns of trade, and border trade management in the Upper North of Thailand. This qualitative study and survey research was conducted through field surveys and interviews with a sample group of 30 relevant participants, including merchants or entrepreneurs and government officers working with border trading. The gross value of trade between Thailand and Myanmar across all the border checkpoints during the first four months of 2013 (January to April) was 65,381.03 million THB. This amount consisted of imported products with a gross value of 39,234.69 million THB, of which natural gas had the highest value of 37,414.00 million THB, accounting for 95.36% of all the imported products. The gross value of exported products, 26,146.34 million THB, meant Thailand had a trade deficit of 13,088.35 million THB. Border trade was divided into two kinds: formal trade and informal trade. These were in various forms of payment, including cash (both in Baht and Kyat currencies) and informal payment, or “Poy Kuan,” a Chinese business exchange receipt in which the payment is accomplished not by carrying cash but, instead, by notifying an agency in the destination country to transfer money.