A new checkpoint for border trade has opened on the Thai-Laos border in Nakhon Phanom to boost business activity between the two countries.
The temporary checkpoint is located in Phai Lom village, tambon Phai Lom of Ban Phaeng district, which connects with Laos' Bolikhamxay province.
The checkpoint will bolster economic and tourism activities, as well as strengthen the good relationship between the two countries, said Somdee Kachayangyeun, deputy governor of Nakhon Phanom.
The immigration building there has been completed since 2008, he said.
Authorities will work on upgrading the Ban Phai Lom checkpoint into a permanent border pass in the near future, said the deputy governor.
Opening a new border pass is part of the government's preparation for economic development following the planned establishment of the Asean Economic Community in 2015.
The Ban Phai Lam temporary checkpoint, which could serve cargo transport through Vietnam and China in the shortest distance, opens Monday to Friday between 8am to 4pm.