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Rangoon orders checkpoint reopened
- Subject: Rangoon orders checkpoint reopened
- From: ausgeo@xxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 15 Jun 1997 21:23:00
June 16, 1997
BANGKOK POST
Rangoon orders checkpoint reopened
Supamart Kasem
Mae Sot, Tak
The Burmese checkpoint in Myawaddy opposite Mae Sot district which has been
closed for the past four days has been ordered to reopen by the Rangoon
authorities, a Thai customs official said yesterday.
The reopening of the checkpoint will allow the import of goods into the
country after a four-day closure, said the official.
Since local Burmese authorities sealed the checkpoint last Thursday, more than
10 million baht worth of goods - fuel, construction materials, tyres and
consumer goods - destined for Myawaddy has been stranded on the Thai side.
The stranded goods were checked by customs officials of the two countries
before permission was given for the merchandise to be sent to Myawaddy through
the checkpoint at about 9 a.m. yesterday.
A senior Burmese official, who refused to be identified, said the checkpoint
was ordered closed by local authorities at Myawaddy without the knowledge of
central authorities.
Thai sources, however, said Myawaddy authorities decided to close the
checkpoint because they were still upset about a recent dispute over the
dredging of Moei river which demarcates the border.
The Rangoon authorities recently learned the checkpoint was closed and have
since ordered that it be reopened immediately, said the sources.
Meanwhile, Democrat MP for Tak Chaiwut Bannawat has called on the Foreign
Ministry to urgently settle the problem caused by the poorly demarcated border
during the Joint Border Boundary Committee meeting with Burmese officials in
Rangoon at the end of this month.
He asked the Thai authorities to raise issues on cross-border trading and the
abrupt closure of the checkpoint by local Burmese officials at the meeting.
Burma must be asked to give an explanation for the closure if it wants to shut
the checkpoint again, said Mr Chaiwut, claiming the recent closure had
adversely affected cross-border trade.