Northern Thailand - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 948

family-oriented and even stylish). The heir apparent, his son the Crown Prince Vajir-
alongkorn, has assumed many of the royal duties his father previously performed, but the
ongoing political problems complicate a smooth transfer of crown from father to son.
On the upside, prospects for Thailand's border areas, formerly irksome hotspots of in-
stability, are starting to look more positive. At the end of 2015, the Asean Economic Com-
munity (AEC) will unite the association's 10 Southeast Asian countries into a liberalised
marketplace where goods, services, capital and labour are shared across borders with little
or no country-specific impediments. Open borders and improved infrastructure between
Thailand's neighbouring countries have already come as a result of the AEC. Although
Thailand's lengthy border with Myanmar (Burma) remains home to an estimated 130,000
refugees, there's hope that Myanmar's recent moves towards democracy, coupled with a
lull in sectarian conflict, may finally allow some refugees to return home. And in late
2013, Thailand and Cambodia came close to reaching an agreement regarding ownership
of the long- disputed and violently contested Prasat Phra Viharn (in Khmer, Prasat Preah
Vihear), a Khmer-era temple straddling the border.