Myawaddy, 9 August
People could be facing shortages of commodities and high prices again as a result of the disruption of the Thai-Myanmar bilateral trade route, Myawaddy-Kawkayeik Asian Highway, said the traders.
On August 7, rain-induced landslide near Tawnaw Waterfall on the Myawaddy-Kawkayeik Asian Highway, Karen State’s key commercial route, cut off the traffic.
Furthermore, there are landslides on the old Kawkayeik-Myawaddy-Dawna mountain road, and certain sections of the road have been damaged by heavy rains, preventing trucks from passing through.
A border trader told the Than Lwin Times, “the vehicles are now unable to use The Thai-Myanmar trade route, so the flow of goods has completely halted and the prices of goods have jumped suddenly”.
The disruption of trade route has halted the flow of goods between the two countries, and the prices of some commodities have grown rapidly, while some products can no longer be priced.
A bottle of 10-viss Thai-made edible oil has increased in price from over 70,000 to 80,000 kyats, a box of dry noodles has climbed to over 20,000 kyats, and the price of other products has surged by 3,000 to 10,000 kyats depending on the type.
According to border trade experts, depending on the length of the road preparation, there may be a delay in the arrival of Thai goods or a shortage of commodities.
Officials from the junta’s Construction Department arrived on August 7 to inspect the destruction of Asian Highway, but it was not prepared until today, and travelers say it is difficult to even build a temporary bridge.
Thailand mainly exports food, textiles, cosmetics, machinery, and construction materials to Myanmar through the Myawaddy-Kawkayeik Asian Highway, and imports corn, broken rice, and aquatic products from Myanmar.
According to the Military Council’s Department of Trade, trade between Thailand and Myanmar hit almost 6,000 million US dollars in the 2022–2023 fiscal year.
News-Than Lwin Times
Photo-CJ