VIENTIANE, Jan 27 – Thai Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Polabutr led more than 100 Thai entrepreneurs to participate in the Lao-Thai Trade Exhibition running from Jan 26-30 at the Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Center (Lao ITECC) in Vientiane.

Mr Alongkorn and Khammanee Khemmani Pholsena, Lao Vice Minister of Industry and Commerce, jointly presided over the opening of the Lao-Thai Trade Exhibition.

Over 230 entrepreneurs including 183 Thai business operators and investors and 50 from the Lao PDR participated in the event and more than Bt100 million (US$3.3 million) is expected to be circulated during the event.

Mr Alongkorn said the event is held annually but this year is special, held under the Three Rings, Five Gates strategy. Three rings represent the ring of 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the ring of ASEAN members plus three (China, Japan and South Korea) and the ring of ASEAN plus six which also includes India, Australia and New Zealand.

Five trade gates signified the five gates connecting Thailand with neighbouring countries, including Malaysia in the South, Cambodia in the East, Myanmar in the North and the East and Laos in the Northeast where can be developed to be the trade route to Vietnam and southern China.

Thai deputy minister led Thai delegates to hold talks with Lao minister on trade and investment.

He said from 1988-2006, Thailand is the largest investor in Laos, recording 353 projects valued at US$2.9 billion. Thailand wants to maintain its position as the primary foreign investor in Laos and cooperates with Laos in trade and tourism and plans to develop the border checkpoint in Loei’s Tha Li district to be a special economic zone to import farming produces grown in Laos to process in Thailand and export to third countries.

Mr Alongkorn said he asked the Lao government to consider opening more permanent border checkpoints in several areas. He believed that development of Thai-Lao trade route to Vietnam and southern China will benefit both countries in the future.

The deputy commerce minister also discussed and listened to suggestions from Thai investors in Laos. They said Laos is not suitable for investment in light industry because the country has population of six million and some moved to work in Thailand, so the country faced a problem of labour shortage for about 4-5 years. The Lao industrial sector needs about 30,000 labourers. Meanwhile, investment in heavy industry in Laos is more appropriate due to abundant natural resources.

The private sector also asked the government to set up an information centre on trade and investment in Laos to facilitate investors. A representative from Thai Airways International (THAI) called for negotiation to increase passenger seat quota limited at maximum of 2,100 seats per day, which is not adequate to passenger demand. The Lao authorities limited THAI passenger seats for fear that it could affect Lao aviation industry. (MCOT online news)