Myanmar-Thai Friendship Bridge in Tachilek reopens to traffic after three-year pandemic closure

By Admin 20 Feb 2023

DMG Newsroom
20 February 2023, Tachilek, Shan State

The No. 1 Myanmar-Thai Friendship Bridge in Tachilek, Shan State, which had been closed for three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, reportedly reopened to traffic on February 20.

Traffic across the bridge resumed after several rounds of discussions between officials from the two countries that began in January 2022.

“The Tachilek District deputy commissioner and Thailand’s Mae Hong Son District governor reopened the bridge earlier this morning. The bridge had been closed for three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The bridge was reopened to facilitate border trade between the two countries,” said an official at the bridge.

The Friendship Bridge, one of only a handful of official border crossings along the Myanmar-Thailand border, will only be passable by those who have received two shots of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Vehicles crossing the border bridge must have the relevant proof of vehicle licensure and will only be allowed to pass with the permission of gate officials, according to customs officials at the bridge.

“Small cars, passenger buses and motorbikes with vehicle licences are allowed to pass over the bridge,” the customs official said.

Merchants in Tachilek hope that the reopening of the Tachilek-Mae Sai Bridge will facilitate trade and exchange of goods between the two countries.

“Since the bridge has been reopened, it is convenient to transport goods, and increases in the price of goods can be reduced appropriately,” said a local merchant in Tachilek.

The No. 1 Myanmar-Thai Friendship Bridge, which connects the town of Tachilek in Myanmar’s eastern Shan State with Mae Sai in Thailand, is an important bridge for the movement of both people and goods between the two countries.