Under the terms of the deal, Thailand is loaning the US$26 million needed to build the checkpoints, customs offices and a spur road from Cambodia’s National Highway 5. Stung Bot will also get warehouses, offices and decent-sized car parks.
Insiders say the two governments hope the new facility will become a major trade hub between the neighbouring nations. When the proposal to build the new gateway was first put forward, proponents said it would alleviate congestion at the nearby Aranyaprathet-Poipet crossing.
The new loan is the third that Thailand has granted for Cambodia to improve its road connections to their common border. One of these saw the construction of a paved road and bridges that connected the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Highway to Koh Kong.
This enabled Cambodian bus companies to launch services to Koh Kong. These connect to services from the Thai border at Hat Lek to Pattaya and Bangkok. 12GO ASIA sells tickets for buses to border crossings in Thailand as well as major routes in Cambodia.
Thailand Cambodia agree terms on new border crossing
News in Asia
Representatives from Thailand and Cambodian signed an agreement last Friday that will see the inauguration of a new border crossing. The location of the new checkpoint will be Stung Bot. This location is on the common border between the Thai province of Sa Kaeo and Banteay Meanchey Province in Cambodia.