Thai ministry urges govt to reopen checkpoints as border trade falls amid pandemic

A convoy of vehicles wait for the arrival of stranded Thai citizens at the Thai customs checkpoint in Sungai Kolok in Thailand's southern province of Narathiwat on the Thailand-Malaysia border on April 18, 2020, as part of strict measures to halt the spread of the Covid-19 (coronavirus). - AFP

BANGKOK, July 11 (Xinhua): Thailand's Ministry of Commerce said on Saturday that it is urging government leaders to allow nine border checkpoints to reopen, as border trade has fallen nearly 10 per cent amid the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak, the Thai government had instructed that Thailand's borders be shut to prevent influx of illegal migrants, of which some may be carrying the virus.