Thailand, Myanmar open second bridge for bilateral, China trade

A flow of friendly faces -- Thai and Myanmar people -- characterized a kind of cross-border "happy hour" traffic between Thailand and Myanmar Sunday, as the two countries relaxed the need for cross-border documentation.

Thailand and Myanmar on Sunday formally opened a second friendship bridge across the Mae Sai River, the natural border demarcating the two countries, which Thailand hopes will not only boost bilateral trade but trade with southern China as well, reported the Thai News Agency.

Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon and his Myanmar counterpart U Nyan Win jointly presided over the opening ceremony of the Second Mae Sai Friendship Bridge at Baan Sanpakhi, Mae Sai subdistrict, Chiang Rai province.

The bridge links Thailand's northern province of Chiang Rai with the Myanmar town of Tachilek. More than 10,000 Thai and Myanmar people also attended the ceremony.

The bridge, completed in March 2004, is expected to be a boon to Chiang Rai's special economic zone in the near future.

The two ministers also held talks on many issues regarding goods transportation from Thailand to the southern part of China via Myanmar and the prevention of drug trafficking along the Thai- Myanmar border.

The new 90-meter bridge also gives Thailand an improved road link to China. The first border bridge opened in 1967, but it could not accommodate increased traffic between the two countries.

Thai exports at Mae Sai border crossing totaled 1,916 billion baht (47 million US dollars) last year, while imports were about 385 million baht (9.6 million US dollars). Export volume is expected to increase by 30 per cent from last year's level after the opening of the second friendship bridge.

Source: Xinhua