Mawlamyine, December (8)
The Military Council has eased some restrictions at the Nyaun Khar Shae checkpoint where X-ray was installed for security reason at the border of Mon State and Bago Region, but there are still delays, the travelers and drivers told Than Lwin Times.
Previously, at the Nyang Khar Long checkpoint, vehicles were only allowed to continue their journey after passing through the X-Ray machine, resulting in frequent traffic congestion and a one-day trip taking nearly two days.
A bus line operator said that the military council is no longer forcing private cars to go through the X-ray machine, but trucks and passenger cars are being inspected as usual, and they still have to wait for at least one and a half hours.
A truck driver said that trucks used to have to wait all day to pass through the X-Ray machine, but now they only have to wait for around five hours.
In the past, hundreds of cars were blocked at the checkpoint almost every day, causing delays in their journeys, and if they overtook other cars, they had to pay a fine of 50,000 kyats.
Less people are taking buses because of travel delays, and some express lines are operating with half the number of buses.
Travelers must wait a long time for the inspection by the military council’s X-ray machine, and if night falls after the inspection, they must spend the night in adjacent places or on the streets owing to curfew orders.
The X-Ray machine installed by the Military Council for security reasons is located on the route that is mainly used for transporting passengers and goods from the Mon, Karen and Tanintharyi regions, and there will be delays, no more travel as before, and the flow of goods will also decrease.
News-Than Lwin Times
