In the era of a borderless world, cooperation between neighboring countries and managing cross-border issues cannot be overlooked, especially in important strategic areas such as the Boten border crossing in Lao PDR, which is a gateway connecting countries in the region. This area is considered a center for economic development and border trade, natural resource management, security enhancement and prevention of transnational crimes, as well as cooperation in education and culture, all of which are key to promoting sustainable development in the region.
Recognizing this importance, Khon Kaen University organized the 2nd University Council Meeting/2025, along with a joint meeting between the University Council and the Executive Committee at the World Heritage City of Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, from 5-9 February 2025, to gather opinions from scholars of various fields and seek ways of cooperation to jointly solve important regional issues.
Dr. Narongchai Akkaraseni, President of the Khon Kaen University Council, revealed that “Being so close, we have a lot of common problems. Starting with the fact that we share a big river, the Mekong River, we have a lot of common interests in taking care of the forests, and most importantly, the issue of illegal activities, such as gambling, arms trade, drugs, investment scams using modern technology, and money laundering.”
“Because Thailand is located in the middle of the country, has high expertise in many areas, and has both technological and financial facilities, it has a shared responsibility to solve these problems. As a leading educational institution in the region, Khon Kaen University plays an important role as a center for research and development of knowledge to solve cross-border problems. In particular, the university itself is located in the strategic area of Nong Khai Province, which borders Laos, which is the gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion.”
Consistent with the view of Mr. Surapol Petchwara, Vice President of Khon Kaen University Council This indicates that “Khon Kaen University is located in a strategic location of the Greater Mekong Subregional Economic Cooperation Development Project (GMS). This area is therefore a springboard for Thailand to enter the GMS countries.”
“During this trip, we signed an MOU on education with the Lao side. There was a quote from the Lao president that impressed me: I want Laos to turn their faces to look at the world, or turn their faces to look at the world, meaning look beyond the Lao border. Therefore, as a collaborator with Khon Kaen University, I would like to see more university lecturers open up to these experiences. The university must act as an institution that guides society and information to society, conducts research that is deep, true, and clear. And this is what I would like to see.”The Vice President of the Khon Kaen University Council added:
From the university council level policy Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chanchai Panthongviriyakul, President of Khon Kaen University Reflected the perspective on implementation that “Receiving knowledge from speakers from China, Laos, and Thai academics has opened up perspectives and provided very important information to our lecturers, which will lead our lecturers to pay attention to problems that are closer to home, which have a greater impact than the news in the Middle East or Ukraine that we follow. It can be seen that this conference will be an important starting point for Khon Kaen University to seriously pay attention to cross-border issues through research and knowledge synthesis for the benefit of solving public policy problems that will find solutions for the good quality of life of both Thais and neighboring countries.”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Director of the Center for International Economics, Chulalongkorn University, one of the speakers who is an expert on border economy and international relations, gave his views in support of this meeting as follows: “The study of various issues nowadays must be a multi-disciplinary study. When we meet, travel together, see real places, and look at the same issues from various dimensions, this is something I would like to see happen in the academic circle.” He also proposed a concrete approach to operations: “We are a university. We already have a complete range of knowledge. If we can do this, starting with academic services, setting a small research budget, going to the field to collect data, and then starting academic services for the media and the public to understand, the opportunity to set up various centers will follow. In the end, we will have both academic strength and be able to truly serve society.”
In the research dimension Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jiranuch Sengiamsak, Assistant to the President for Research, Khon Kaen University, explained the approach to driving research on cross-border issues management as follows: It is necessary to use many disciplines, such as Health Science, Social Science, or Science and Technology. He gave a concrete example from the issue of water management in the Mekong River, which originates from China.
“We need to use both technology and understanding in various fields because it affects both dam construction, the people, and compensation. How will we take care of them? From this example, it can be seen that various environmental conditions cannot be solved by relying on any one field. But it requires cooperation from both national and international networks to create a greater impact.” He ended with the sentence “Go Far Go Together, we will definitely go far.”
This university council meeting and study tour is not only an exchange of knowledge and experiences, but also an important step in building a collaborative network among academics, educational institutions, policymakers, and the private sector from the three countries, which will lead to the development of policy recommendations and concrete practices to promote cross-border cooperation to drive the sustainable development of the Mekong sub-region through the integration of knowledge and research that will create a real positive impact on the region.
