No change in cross-border trading in Mae Sot, officials say
The cross-border trade at the Mae Sot border connecting Thailand and Myanmar in Tak province was continuing as usual on Tuesday following the defeat of the military junta’s troops in Myawaddy township, which fell to Karen rebel forces on Sunday night.
Thai media reported that Myanmar’s military regime has sought permission from Thailand to land a transport plane at Mae Sot airport to pick up troops and their dependents who have fled Myawaddy.
More than 600 junta soldiers have reportedly surrendered to Karen National Union (KNU) and allied forces who seized seven military bases in and around Myawaddy, which lies adjacent to the Thai border town of Mae Sot.
Krit Ungwitoonsatit, president of the Thai-Myanmar Business Council, said on Tuesday that his contact in Myawaddy had called him to say that the customs checkpoint was operating as normal, but the number of trucks transporting goods was lower.
Meanwhile, the number of Thai and Myanmar nationals commuting across borders on Tuesday is still the same, he added.
Krit noted that some residents of Myawaddy who have relatives or houses in Mae Sot have moved their belongings to the Thai side to avoid the impact of unexpected events in the embattled township.
“Neither the Karen nor the junta want to lose the profit from cross-border trade, which is vital to Myanmar’s economy,” he said, adding he still believed that the conflict would not have a significant impact on cross-border imports and exports.
Meanwhile, the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) said it is monitoring the situation in Myanmar and at the border and will notify Thai entrepreneurs of any change in cross-border trading.
DITP director-general Phusit Ratanakul Sereroengrit said on Tuesday that all transport routes from Thailand to Myawaddy are currently open.
“However, if the situation in Myawaddy worsens, exporters can use other checkpoints than Mae Sot to transport their goods to Myanmar, such as Mae Sai-Tachileik and Ranong-Kawthaung.
With 106.83 billion baht in trade volume recorded in 2023, Mae Sot is Thailand’s second largest cross-border trade checkpoint following Sa Dao checkpoint in Songkhla, which generated 226.26 billion baht in trade volume last year.
The top five export products through Mae Sot last year were mobile phones and components, diesel fuel, plastic pellets, palm oil, and non-alcoholic drinks.
The top five imports, meanwhile, were corn for animal feed, rice flour, live cattle, aluminium scraps, and fresh chilli.
