Border Market Traders Seek Rent Cut After Thai-Cambodian Checkpoint Closure
Merchants at Thailand's Rong Kleua border market have petitioned authorities for a rent reduction from 140 to 80 baht per square meter monthly, citing severe losses from the Thai-Cambodian checkpoint closure that has devastated cross-border
Merchants from Rong Kleua Market in Aranyaprathet district, Sa Kaeo province, submitted a formal petition to Sa Kaeo Provincial Administration Governor Thanis Thiantong requesting a review of rental rates for the market building. The traders have been severely impacted by the Thai-Cambodian border closure, which has caused a dramatic decline in business, customers, and tourists, leaving them unable to afford current rents. Business representatives proposed reducing the rental rate from the current 140 baht per square meter per month to a maximum of 80 baht per square meter per month, and requested that lease agreements be postponed until an official announcement of the border's reopening. They argued that the border closure directly damaged border trade, shrinking purchasing power and drastically reducing tourist numbers, while merchants still faced ongoing expenses for rent, wages, and operating costs. The current rate of 140 baht per square meter per month far exceeds what traders can realistically pay under present circumstances. The merchants requested that Sa Kaeo Provincial Administration maintain rental rates at no more than 80 baht per square meter per month, even after the border reopens, to help revive border trade and enable businesses to operate sustainably.
