Thai-Myanmar Relations Improving: Thai Officer

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 24, 2002

Thai-Myanmar Relations Improving: Thai Officer

Relations between Thailand and Myanmar, soured mainly by border problems over the past two months, are improving, the Thai News Agency reported Wednesday.

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Relations between Thailand and Myanmar, soured mainly by border problems over the past two months, are improving, the Thai News Agency reported Wednesday.

Udomchai Ongkasing, commanding general of the Third Army Area Command, was quoted as saying that a positive change had been seen lately over situation along the Thai-Myanmar border.

With the positive trend, he expected relations between the two neighboring countries would improve though it would take some times to restore the sound bilateral relationship.

Udomchai conceded that a planned military exercise along the border announced by Rangoon could be accompanied by a renewed crackdown on its armed ethnic groups.

Meanwhile, the House Committee on Commerce reported that Rangoon's closure of its border checkpoints with Thailand over thepast two months had caused business losses to both sides up to five billion baht (125 million US dollars), as trade and tourism had come to a standstill.

Trade and tourism at three permanent checkpoints, including the Mae Sai-Tachilek Checkpoint in the North, the Mae Sot-Myawaddy Checkpoint in the West, and the Ranong-Victoria Point Checkpoint in the South, had been mostly hit by the closure, said the committee.

Border trade through the Mae Sai-Tachilek Checkpoint normally accounted for 20-30 million baht (500,000-750,000 US dollars) daily before the closure; while border trade at the Mae Sot-Myawaddy Checkpoint was normally up to 20 million baht (500,000 USdollars) daily.

Heavy revenue losses were also found, as Myanmar authorities had banned shuttle boat services between Ranong and the Victoria Points, the House Committee disclosed.

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