CNI News
9 April 2024
Due to the lack of territorial insecurity and because the legal trade was delayed in exporting or importing through border trade, almost the current border trades became , said traders.
If legal trade was conducted, because there were delays, more illegal trade would have been conducted, they said.
Because there are no territorial stabilities in the border trade areas, when trades are conducted, traders must pay armed groups. Although there were illegal trades in export, according to the domestic demand at present, more and more import was being conducted, U San Win, a trader from Myla, told CNI News.
While the TNLA force is collecting money from trucks and buses
" There are illegal trades in every border trade. It's not convenient to conduct legal trade. Because there is no rule of law, the amount of illegal trade is much more. You have to pay armed groups on the way. If you conduct legal trade, it will be very difficult and take a long time. There are a lot of illegal imports or exports. No one can scrutinize it. If you are scrutinized, it will take a long time. Traders can't wait such a long time. Mainly, it's worse in importing. You have to go only after paying armed groups on the way because there is no territorial security whether you conduct legal or illegal trade.” he said.
Because there are illegal trades, it can damage the country's economy and delay legal trades.
The government should relax the trade policy and open trade channels so that the market economy would develop and the trade sector would improve more as well as import and export could be conducted more, pointed out traders.
Because some imports had been restricted and it took a long time to get an import license, illegal trades arose, an import businessman told CNI News.
While the police force is checking trucks
" It's necessary to relax the trade policy regarding essential imports to the country. It's necessary to reduce many process steps. The staff in every step take advantage. For example, if a product was ordered from abroad, it is paid one kyat. But as soon as it arrives in Myanmar, it is paid 100 kyats. Traders don't make a big profit. But consumers have to pay so much. Monitoring these, if the government relaxes the trade policy to make it easy, consumers can buy things at a cheaper price. We can carry out faster. If there are difficulties and delays, the prices are higher and the poor have to buy things at a higher price. It would be better if one stop service is everywhere." he said.
At present legal trades are being conducted in Myla, a China-Myanmar border trade, Tachileik, a Myanmar-Thailand border trade and Kan Pite Tee, a China-Myanmar border trade.
The goods from Thailand are being illegally imported after paying the checkpoints of the Tatmadaw and EAOs along the Thailand-Myanmar trade route according to traders.
