Mae Sot border remains closed

BANGKOK, 10 September, 2010 – Thailand’s deputy minister of commerce, Alongkorn Ponlaboot, is leading efforts to reopen the Mae Sot-Myawaddy border which has remained closed since 18 July.

Myanmar’s military government closed 20 cross-border checkpoints along the Moei River in protest against the construction of an embankment along the Moei River at Ban Tha At by Thai-based companies that  caused soil erosion along the river bank.

So far, Mr Alongkorn’s efforts have failed despite a series of meetings with Burmese officials. He was hoping to resolve the issue at the end of last month but the border remains closed.

Adding to the confusion, a bomb exploded on the Burmese side of the river, last week, at the border town of Myawaddy killing two persons and injuring eight others.

Officially, Myanmar says the border remains closed due to concerns about tourist safety.

Mr Alongkorn is a keen supporter of bilateral trade between the two countries and has been pushing a project to build a second Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge over the Moei River, possibly in Mae Sot or Tak provinces.

In the long-run Thailand is keen to develop the Mae Sot-Myawaddy region into a special economic zone using an investment of Bt1.16 billion earmarked for the project.

The plan includes construction of highways related to the Asian Development Bank’s East-West Corridor plan that will ultimately open a route from Mae Sot and Mywaddy across an mountainous section of Myanmar to Andaman Sea coastal ports. Thailand will also fund the renovation of the existing bridge and construction of new bridge on the River Moei.

As long as the border remains closed, Thailand  loses an estimated US$2.7 million day in commercial revenue.