“Legal” or “Illegal”: Dynamic and Ambiguous Border Trade in the Borderland of Thai-Lao PDR

Abstract

Illegal border trade is considered by the state to be a subversive economy. Therefore, the state is actively trying to eliminate such illegal trade. However, it is still commonly found. This article aims to question the division between legal and illegal border trade and whether or not it can be divided into two systems of trade. Does the state actually want to eliminate illegal border trade? This article presents a case study of border trade in Ubon Ratchathani province. The authors intend to show the dynamic of border trade, from the past to the present. The concept of borderland is adopted as a framework to discuss the content of the article. It is expected to analyze the dynamic of changes that have occurred in the borderland as the dialectic between state power and local power. This article suggests that border trade is dynamic and highly ambiguous. This is evident from the trade practices of the border traders who facilitate both the legal and the illegal trade. Since the two systems are intertwined, it is difficult to distinguish between the two systems. This article points out the problem of the state’s definition of border

trade, which tends to diminish the complexity of border trade practices and considers the border trade as static rather than dynamic. Moreover, it represents the limitations of the state-centered approach, and it is an obstacle to understanding the dynamic and complexity of the border trade.