Myanmar reviews border closure after negotiations with Thailand
BANGKOK, July 28 – Myanmar will consider reopening the Thai-Myanmar border at the Mae Sot-Myawaddy bridge after negotiations with Thailand, Thai Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot said on Wednesday.
The negotiation led to better understanding, Mr Alongkorn said, and the Myanmar officials will report the matter to their leaders for further consideration to reopen the border.
The deputy minister will report the results of the negotiations with Myanmar government on reopening of the Thai-Myanmar border at Mae Sot-Myawaddy Bridge bordering Thailand’s Tak province to other Cabinet members on Wednesday.
Mr Alongkorn confirmed that the border closure would not affect the official visit of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in August.
The Cabinet will discuss adjusting working processes of the Thai-Myanmar Township Border Committee (TBC) at local and national level in order respond to border problems more quickly and decisively regarding policies to avoid irritations being blown out of proportion and escalating to conflict in the future.
The ongoing closure of the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge and more than 20 ports along the Moei River since July 18 is to protest Thailand’s riverbank protection construction after no response from Thailand to its letter requesting Thai ambassador to Myanmar to hold talks on the issue.
The deputy minister said the problem must be solved, so that the two countries will continue cooperation in mega projects including Dawei deep sea port for goods transportation to Thailand’s Kanchanaburi through Laos and Vietnam.
The Dawei-Kanchanaburi investment is approximately around Bt400 billion (US$12.5 billion). Thailand wants to push the Mae Sot-Myawaddy border zone of some 2,240 acres as a special economic zone, within the near future. The issue will be proposed to the Cabinet for consideration next week.
Mr Alongkorn said the border closure since July 18 caused damage of about Bt88 million ($2.7 million) per day.
Exports in the first nine months of the fiscal year across the Mae Sot- Myawaddi border were valued at Bt25 billion (about $780,000) or 45 per cent growth.
