Border trade ban during the Deputy Chief Command is in Myawadi

Independent Mon News Agency

September 14, 2004

Deputy Chief Commander of South-East Command, Brigadier General Myo Hla is on trip to Myawadi border town with Thailand, the imported Thai goods is on a still-stand situation, said by SPDC’s Border Area Administration Department (Nasaka) said trader.

“Oil, food and drinks, beauty, etc… clothes banned at the moment. All of Thai goods are not imported across Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Myawadi,” Mr. Nai Mon Sorng a trader said.

“The ban started since the commander reached here a week ago for his explanation to public for the implementation of the Burmese military government 7 points of Road Map to Democracy,” he added.

“A lot of traders had to stop their activities and, even Thai goods in Burma territory are not imported to inside Burma. Nasaka has strictly banned them,” Mr. U Myo Myint, a driver in Myawadi said.

Nasaka is a SPDC’s powerful department in Myawadi border town in import and export goods between Thailand and Burma. Nasaka has regularly seized goods from trader that had not good relationship with them said the traders.

“Nasaka only allowed the armed groups and party to import small among of Thai goods to inside Burma,” he continued.

“Nasaka told us that they only ban the border trade for a while when the commander is here, but they do not confirm when would allow importing (goods) again. It is almost a week now,” U Myo Myint said.

“The trading rates have decreased down because of this ban. It made the people traveling less and the permanent traders and some the transporting vehicles lost their jobs now,” U Myo Myint added.

Most vehicles or trucks, which are routing back and forth to Myawadi are trucks belonged to traders and they carry goods for border trades with Thailand. As the motor road to Myawadi is narrow, the trip for all vehicles is set one-day forth travel to and one-day back travel from Myawadi for the passengers and traders.

Myawadi is a trading border town situation in southern part of Burma in Karen State, and in where most of Southern Burmese, Mon and Karen ethnic people are relying for border trade and it have provided a smooth transportation to Burma.

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