Someone just told me that MS / Tachilek crossing is supposed to be closed for a while. Any truth to that ???

Even though this is old, it is the best explanation for how all the fake stuff turns up in Burma. Even though it is made in nearby Yunan; the Chinese don't want to risk their membership in the WTO. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/1871331.stm Now, back to the topic.......

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737472-visa-run-burma-some-closed/#entry8018849

MS/Tachilek was open yesterday (Monday) long queue to go across at 11.30 am. Plenty of people walking over the bridge.

Was there on 25th. The (Myanmar side) market was almost empty. Never seen it so quiet. Also, they don't give you one of those temporary passports any more in immigration.

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Was there on 25th. The (Myanmar side) market was almost empty. Never seen it so quiet. Also, they don't give you one of those temporary passports any more in immigration.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

So how do you get your passport back if you go in Myanmar for shopping?

Do the just look at the photo?

Tricky... Easy to make mistakes mix up people.

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Was there on 25th. The (Myanmar side) market was almost empty. Never seen it so quiet. Also, they don't give you one of those temporary passports any more in immigration.

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

So how do you get your passport back if you go in Myanmar for shopping?

Do the just look at the photo?

Tricky... Easy to make mistakes mix up people.

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used to be , some months ago, they hold your passport on the going into Burma side and give you a little chit....... when you are coming back to Mae Sai, you give the chit to the office on the going into Thai side and claim your passport. Both offices are right across the road from each other , matter of 40 - 50 feet apart.

Now having said that ...... that was some months ago..... may have changed by now.

That was the temperary passport, and as said they do NOT give that anymore.

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Went and returned today for visa (one year non-immigrant 90 day check) and shopping. No problems, short lines exiting and entering Thailand, Myanmar now lets you keep your passport. Shopping was better than three months ago, fewer people, better selection of DVD's and booze.

Yes, extremely quiet the other day, only saw five foreigners. You enter Myanmar and go to the usual passport office, they ask you if you are going to stay. If you reply yes, they will give you and entry stamp and hand you back your passport. If you say no, I'm just shopping, they will stamp you in and out, then it's your choice whether you go shopping or head straight back over the border.

Yep correct. You keep your passport and if you are just shopping they do both the "out" and "in" stamp at the same time on entering Myanmar.

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_{Went up and back yesterday. All pretty much as stated in above posts. Bridge over was the most jammed up with vehicles, as I've ever seen. Seems as operations as usual with exception of rifle carrying army in number and very obvious in the open.}

_{The thing that I found most unusual was on the way up and back..... There are numerous highway police check points. Saw very few of them manned and most with no police in sight. Exclude Mae Chan Checkpoint. Here they seem to have created their own bottleneck. In years gone by they had like 4 traffic lanes going into the checkpoint , coming from MS. They have moved about a hundred metres south to a section where they have now only 2 lanes at the checkpoint. Causing traffic to back up considerably and jam up the point itself.}

_{But almost like most of the other checkpoints seemed closed.}