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Crossing at new bridge still limite
- Subject: Crossing at new bridge still limite
- From: ausgeo@xxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 18:23:00
Subject: Crossing at new bridge still limited
August 18, 1997
BANGKOK POST
THAI-BURMA BORDER
Crossing at new bridge still limited
Burma not yet able to take vehicular traffic
Supamart Kasem
Mae Sot, Tak
Use of the Thai-Burma Friendship Bridge linking Mae Sot and Myawaddy is still
limited despite its official opening last Friday.
People of both countries were allowed to cross the border without having to
use a border pass for three days following the opening of the bridge. But from
today they will be required to obtain proper travelling documents.
The first convoy of 20 cars crossed the bridge on Saturday, taking 51 Thai
businessmen, led by Tak Chamber of Commerce vice president Paniti Tangphati,
from Mae Sot to Myawaddy. After the convoy returned to Mae Sot on Sunday, no
other vehicles were allowed across the bridge as the Burmese said they were
not yet ready to handle vehicular traffic and travelling documents involving
vehicles and passengers.
The Thai businessmen were welcomed on arrival at Myawaddy on Saturday by Lt
Col Khin Maung Win, chief of Myawaddy border trade.
The lieutenant colonel took them to see some of the areas designated
industrial zones under a Thai-Burmese industrial cooperation agreement along
Mae Sot-Myawaddy-Moulmein-Rangoon Road.
A 10,000-acre area has been set aside for investment by private firms along
Myawaddy-Kawkareik Road and another 40 acres near Myawaddy town for the
construction of a transport centre.
Under the Thai-Burmese cooperation agreement, there would be 33 projects worth
about 48,000 million baht along the Mae Sot-Myawaddy-Moulmein-Rangoon Road.
Thirteen of the projects, worth 21,429 million baht, will be on the Thai side
and the rest worth 26,626 million baht in Burma.
At least four Thai businessmen have invested about 30 million baht in Myawaddy
in an electricity distribution plant, a tap water production plant, three
petrol stations and one drinking water plant.
Although the bridge has been opened, further travelling by land from Myawaddy
to Rangoon is not yet permissible because the road condition is very poor.
Maj-Gen Khet Sein, Burma's Southeastern Force commander, told Thailand's Third
Army commander Lt-Gen Thanom Watcharaphuk last Friday while attending the
bridge's opening ceremony that Burma planned to first improve the road between
Myawaddy to Moulmein before allowing visitors to travel deeper into its
territory.
The local Thai-Burmese border committee will meet on Thursday when the two
sides will discuss whether to allow people to travel beyond Mae Sot and
Myawaddy.