Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge reopens three years after closure during Covid
The Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, which links Thailand’s Tak province and Myawaddy in Myanmar, was reopened on Thursday, more than three years after it was shuttered due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Senior officials from both sides of the border took part in a ceremony held on the bridge to mark the reopening.
Tak Governor Somchai Kitcharoenrungroj joined his Myanmar counterpart U Zaw Tin at the long-awaited reopening of the bridge.
Among those attending the ceremony were customs officials, immigration officers, police and military officers, local administrators, public health officials, and local business leaders.
Local officials from Thailand and Myanmar had convened many meetings in preparation for the bridge’s reopening.
Business people on both sides of the border agreed that the reopening would benefit both Thailand and Myanmar in many ways, including trade, investment, tourism and their economies in general.
They expect a quick recovery of tourism and a return of tourists to the area shortly after the bridge’s reopening.
Border trade and tourism had suffered due to the closure of the bridge, which has the Mae Sot border checkpoint on the Thai side.
Meanwhile, security measures have been tightened along the Thai-Myanmar border in Tak province, with security forces using sniffer dogs to patrol the Thai side of the bridge.
