Myanmar’s military regime tightens trade restrictions, disrupting supply lines

Myanmar’s military regime is continuing to tighten restrictions on imports from Thailand, months after closing the key Myawaddy border bridge in Karen State. Sources in the transport industry report that the junta has effectively blocked key trade routes from Myawaddy since its Foreign Exchange Supervisory Committee imposed a ban on 35 types of goods, including medicines and consumer products, in August. This has severely disrupted the flow of goods destined for Yangon, particularly through two important checkpoints: Thamanya in Karen State and Nyaung Khar Shey in Bago Region. “We’re just waiting for the roads to reopen. Thai imports can’t get past Thamanya or Nyaung Khar Shey. Anyone trying to get through risks arrest and having their goods confiscated,” said one truck driver. Traders are growing increasingly concerned about the impact of the ongoing delays on their businesses. “My goods still can’t enter Hpa-an. Nothing has changed, and I'm worried they’ll be damaged or lost after being stranded on the road for so long,” said a woman who sells Thai-made products online. On September 13, the regime’s Illegal Trade Eradication Steering Committee launched a crackdown on illegal trade in major cities, including Naypyitaw. Checkpoints have primarily targeted Thai-made goods, with reports of drivers being detained and goods seized, the woman added. Some traders have tried to circumvent the restrictions by shipping small quantities of goods in cars, but even this method has faced obstacles. In some cases, drivers caught transporting Thai-made products have been detained and forced to pay for their release. The restrictions have also caused prices for essential goods to soar. “The hypertension medicine I normally take is no longer consistently available, so I’ve had to switch to alternatives. Last month, I tried to buy a Covid-19 test kit, but even major pharmacies didn’t have it,” said a woman living in Yangon. Currently, certain goods, such as medicines, construction materials, fuel, and industrial raw materials, can only be imported by sea, while transport through border trade routes remains prohibited. In late August, the regime closed the Myawaddy-Mae Sot Friendship Bridge 2, a major crossing that facilitated billions of dollars’ worth of trade each year. The closure was part of a strategy to cut off tax revenue to anti-junta groups controlling areas near this section of the Thai border. Since then, the regime has redirected most imports to areas under its control, with the seaport in Kawthaung, in southern Myanmar’s Tanintharyi Region, serving as a primary import route. An import license agent has confirmed that the junta will begin implementing a new automated cargo clearance system for border trade through Kawthaung next month.

Myanmar’s military regime tightens trade restrictions, disrupting supply lines

The restrictions have resulted in high prices and shortages of many essential goods in Yangon and other major centres

Subscribe for full access

Explainer: Who are the companies and cronies backing Myanmar junta leader’s Thailand visit?

From palace stages to exile: A Myanmar dancer who chose conscience over ceremony

Her parents gone, a Myanmar student prays for the return of a father lost in conflict

Rakhine State floods put AA administration to its biggest test yet

Subscribe for full access

Related Articles

Myanmar junta airstrike kills 14 in Rakhine State’s Thandwe Township

Pro-junta militia kills four civilians after KIA attack on base

‘One Rohingya from every household’: Myanmar junta formalises forced conscription in Rakhine State

16 dead and tens of thousands displaced by flooding across central Myanmar