Prachin Buri
'Gateway to Isan'—Honda 120K vehicles/year, 304 Industrial Park 12,500 rai, potential EEC inclusion sparked protests August 2025, 50B baht PCB investment coming.
Prachin Buri straddles Thailand's industrial frontier—literally called the "Gateway to Isan" where eastern manufacturing meets northeastern agriculture. The 2022 economy reached 291.7 billion baht, with 84.5% of employment now in non-agricultural sectors. This isn't the rural Thailand of stereotype; this is Honda producing 120,000 vehicles annually including hybrid and electric models at Rojana Industrial Park.
The industrial parks multiplied: Kabinburi Industrial Zone covers 4,000 rai; the 304 Industrial Park spans 12,500 rai with integrated renewable energy; Saha Group operates another strategic facility. A new PCB plant announced a 10 billion baht first phase with an additional 50 billion baht by 2030, positioning Thailand as an ASEAN circuit board hub. The Eastern Economic Corridor—currently Rayong, Chon Buri, and Chachoengsao—beckons.
In 2025, authorities studied whether to admit Prachin Buri to the EEC. The August 28 public consultation drew 600 participants—and 100 protesters from Kabin Buri and Si Maha Phot districts opposing inclusion. The tension is real: industrial transformation brings jobs but disrupts agricultural communities. Prachin Buri demonstrates that economic corridors expand not by administrative decree alone but through negotiations with people who remember what the land looked like before the factories came.