CNI News
23 December 2023

The bridge over creek in Kaw Nweh Village on the Myawady-Kawkareik Asia Highway, the main trade channel between Myanmar and Thailand in Kayin State was broken and damaged because it was exploded on 16th December.

So, preparations are being made to use another road for trade.

Buses and family cars are going and coming on the Htoh Kaw Ko Road as an alternative. However, it is still not convenient for big trucks to go on that road reportedly.

The Asia Highway is not convenient for exporters to use, traders who export goods to Thailand have considered to choose the channels that save cost such as the route going from Kawkareik and the route going by sea, U Thant Zin Tun, vice chairman of the Myanmar Corn Industrial Association, told CNI News.

While the bridge over creek in Kaw Nweh Village is broken

" It's not been convenient anymore to trade through Myawady. When we think about other routes, a possibility is that we can go from Yangon through domestic coastline to Kawkareik from which to the border. But when we go by ship from the coastline, it can cost us a lot for the transport. So, should we we go by sea all the way? We'll have a think about it. if the transportation charges were too high, we couldn't pay a good price when we buy goods." he said.

Although corns produced in Shan State can be exported to Thailand through Maesai-Tachileik border trade, the road is so steep that big trucks with very powerful engines only can go. So, just a small amount of goods can be exported.

Currently, the battles are breaking out between the Tatmadaw and the KNLA/PDF joint forces in Kawkareik and along the Asia Highway.

While seeing cars going on the Thai-Myanmar Trade Route

There are also traffic jams on the Nabu-Htoh Kaw Ko Road that is currently used and cars are going on the basis of one day up-one day down at present, a trader from Myawady told CNI News.

" The biggest kind of car that can go on that road is light truck. So, valuable goods like beauty products are transported. The road is narrow and it is and earth road as well." he said.

Myawady-Kawkareik Asia Road is the main road for Myanmar-Thailand border trade and it can save cost and time. But it cannot be used for some time.

So, when the goods are exported to Thailand or imported from Thailand, trading be sea can be the best, pointed out traders.