Cambodia Customs facilitates fastest movement of goods in transit

The General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia (GDCEC) facilitates goods in transit, prompting movement of goods within ASEAN, said by Mr. Kun Nhem – Minister Attached to the Prime Minister, Director General of the GDCEC on the sidelines of the 33rd ASEAN Directors-General of Customs Meeting.

How do you evaluate the organization of the 33rd ASEAN Directors-General of Customs Meeting hosted by Vietnam Customs?

We express our high appreciation for the hosting, the warm hospitality and excellent arrangement of Vietnam Customs for this meeting, I think from the first day in the opening session, we were extremely impressed and excited with good drum performance by Vietnamese artists.

We also saw a wonderful performance not only from the artists but also from Vietnam Customs officials. They performed very well as professional artists.

I would like to express my appreciation to Vietnam Customs and especially the Minister of Finance and Director General of Vietnam Customs for the warm hospitality and reception to the Cambodian Customs delegation.

Could you kindly share with us about the achievements gained by Cambodia Customs in implementing the ASEAN Customs Transit System (ACTS)?

One of the achievements of Cambodia Customs in implementing the ACTS is trade facilitation. When talking about ACTS, we refer to the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Goods in Transit, which was signed in 1998 in Hanoi. There are several protocols governing the practical implementation of this agreement, including Protocol 7 on the ASEAN Customs Transit System. According to the Protocol 7, customs procedures for goods in transit within ASEAN Member States will be processed by a computerized Customs transit management system from the departure country to the transit country and to the destination country.

ASEAN Member States agree on the detailed procedures to facilitate goods in transit of Cambodia. Accordingly, Cambodia Customs also provides this facilitation for goods coming from other countries and ASEAN Member States and transiting through Cambodia to other countries. For example, if the goods coming from Thailand to Vietnam and transiting to Cambodia, we will provide facilitation in order to have a very smooth movement and vice versa. If the goods coming from Vietnam to Thailand or to Laos, we also provide the same treatment. I think along with other ASEAN Member States, this ACTS is one of the tools and system that promotes movement of goods within ASEAN.

Could you kindly share the experiences of the Cambodia Customs in terms of granting the cross-border permit for the transit shipment under ACTS?

In Cambodia, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport is in charge of providing the licence for the transport operator within Cambodia, who has the right to carry the goods across the border.

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport issues the list of the transport operators. We exchange this list with Vietnam and Thailand. At the same time, we receive the list of the transport operators under the ACTS from Vietnam and Thailand.

Thank you Sir!

Source: Customs News