Mae Sot-Myawady border crossing temporarily closed

[Tomtomtom69]

According to an article in the Bangkok Post (which I believe I'm not allowed to link here) dated Sep 27, 2014, new fighting between Myanmar government and Karen rebel forces just 5km outside of Myawady, in an area I know well (as I've been there numerous times) has prompted the authorities to close the border there. No word on how long the border crossing will be closed for, but I hope it doesn't last for long as this could be a new excuse for the government to ban foreigners from passing through the region again as was the case for decades. It wasn't until Aug 28, 2013 that it finally became possible to travel from Thailand to Myanmar (or vice versa) overland via Mae Sot/Myawady and beyond (previously only the area up to about the mountain pass was accessible on day trips) after at least 3-4 years of peace but sadly the situation has just deteriorated. Hopefully this is a one-off, but does anyone have any further information?

I was planning on heading to Myawady (and possibly Hpa-an) in around a month's time so hopefully I won't have to call off that trip, though it's not confirmed yet at this point and I can still change my plans. Basically if the situation didn't improve by then (or rather, the border crossing weren't re-opened by then, which I hope is unlikely) then I probably won't attempt to go at all.

[craigt3365]

Wow. Bummer. Please keep us updated. I'm hoping to get over there in late October or so. Not sure how yet, but will probably do a land crossing somewhere.

[Tomtomtom69]

Wow. Bummer. Please keep us updated. I'm hoping to get over there in late October or so. Not sure how yet, but will probably do a land crossing somewhere.

I was also planning on going late October, just for 2-3 days and mainly staying in Myawady, possibly heading over to Hpa-an. Not sure if I'll go yet, but let's hope the situation will improve before then. There's no new news on Bangkok Post, but I'll be sending some messages on LINE to a former immigration official at the Myawady checkpoint to see how things are progressing in the next few days, if I don't read anything new in the next week or so.

In any case, I'll update you here. I would imagine that once the border re-opens, it will be business as usual, but given the track record of Myanmar border closures in the past, it could be closed for anything from a day to a year.

In the meantime, the safest crossing to use for overland travel to Myanmar if Mae Sot/Myawady remains closed is Phu Nam Ron/Htee Khee in Kanchanaburi province. You would need to travel first to Dawei, and then up north before reaching Mawlamyine, Yangon etc. So just in case your plan was to visit Myanmar by traveling overland soon, that's your best bet.

[Tomtomtom69]

Just found this article on the Irrawaddy, which confirms the story mentioned by the Bangkok Post but strangely does not mention the border closing:

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/breaking-news/heavy-fighting-erupts-near-myawaddy-residents-flee-homes.html

And another one from a week earlier, before the latest outbreak of violence, which seems to indicate a rise in tensions:

http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/karen-rebel-soldier-shot-dead-myawaddy.html

So now we know where the fighting has been occurring, which is between Myawady and Thinnaninaung, which is a town along the main Myawady to Hpa-an highway around 15km from Myawady. Just after Thinnaninaung, which is located around 3km west of the Myawady "industrial zone", which consists of a collection of warehouses where Thai and Burmese trucks pick up and drop off goods (Thai trucks can not travel further inside Myanmar than this point), and only a few km short of the mountain pass, is now connected to Myanmar by a nice new road built by the Thais, that extends just over 15km from the Thai border. As the first article mentions, the army has blocked this road due to fighting in the area, thereby preventing overland travel further east of Kawkareik or west from Myawady towards Yangon. Also, the new bypass road to Kawkareik is located just past the area of the fighting and should open soon, weather and security conditions permitting. Once open, a journey from the border crossing at Myawady to the state capital of Hpa-an should be cut from the current 5 hours down to something like 2. And then from there to Yangon it's a further 4.5-5 hours by car, or perhaps 6 hours by bus.

[Tomtomtom69]

Hmm...

This article claims the border crossing was NOT shut, directly contradicting what the Bangkok Post claimed. Also, the main Asia Highway between Myawady and Thinnanninaung/Kawkareik has apparently been re-opened. However, it's clear that tensions remain and that it might be a good idea to monitor the news and wait a few weeks (or longer) before heading to the area, just in case. A spokesperson for the regional government claimed it "was just a skirmish", let's hope it doesn't escalate any further. However, another attack near Mawlamyine just a day earlier and bombings in Yangon last year (occurring when I had travelled from Mae Sot to Yangon, arriving the day after the Traders Hotel bombings in Yangon) all made me a bit jittery but as long as it doesn't escalate further, travel should not be impacted any further.

http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7686:fear-rises-in-myawady-after-dkba-launches-another-attack-against-military-convoy&catid=44:national&Itemid=384

[gregk0543]

Someone just arrived at my house in yangon who crossed yesterday. It is still open. Just a few skirmishes.

[Tomtomtom69]

Someone just arrived at my house in yangon who crossed yesterday. It is still open. Just a few skirmishes.

Yes, seems to be bad reporting on the part of the Bangkok Post. Elevenmyanmar.com's article seems to be more on the money i.e. a small skirmish that temporarily blocked the main highway out of Myawady but not the border crossing itself. Anyway, the road has now re-opened.

[gregk0543]

Yep. Dont panic yet. I have a project underway in myawaddi. Sending someone there for legal stuff in next couple of days. Have to keep monitoring.

[iamariva1957]

Well I love up here in Mae Sot and this is news to me. But I will check myself by going down to the bridge crossing and have a look. Then I will update you. You can IM me here.

[gregk0543]

The border is definitely open. I drove my car from Yangon to Myawaddy on the the 12th of October 2014.

I then left my car in Myawaddy and crossed the border at the bridge into Mae Sot Thailand and I am going back the same way on 15th of October 2014.

All going well even with the fighting and the mortar round killing 4 people on the same road on the 11th of October.

http://karennews.org/2014/10/unknown-armed-group-kills-four-and-wounds-nine-civilian.html/

I stopped at a checkpoint leaving Kawkareik and reported myself. We asked the immigration officer about the state of play and he told us a mortar round was fired yesterday, but did not mention the casualities. I only found out when I got to Mae Sot and someone there told me. Then i checked on the net.

There was a a taxi with 3 foreigners in front of me. Immigration and police dont care. I drove through DKBA checkpoints on the way and Myanmar Army ones too. Was a beautiful drive and I hopefully will make it back across tomorrow.

So there is an element of just ignore it and hopes it goes away in the attitude of the locals.

We will see what happens next.

[Tomtomtom69]

The border is definitely open. I drove my car from Yangon to Myawaddy on the the 12th of October 2014.

I then left my car in Myawaddy and crossed the border at the bridge into Mae Sot Thailand and I am going back the same way on 15th of October 2014.

All going well even with the fighting and the mortar round killing 4 people on the same road on the 11th of October.

http://karennews.org/2014/10/unknown-armed-group-kills-four-and-wounds-nine-civilian.html/

I stopped at a checkpoint leaving Kawkareik and reported myself. We asked the immigration officer about the state of play and he told us a mortar round was fired yesterday, but did not mention the casualities. I only found out when I got to Mae Sot and someone there told me. Then i checked on the net.

There was a a taxi with 3 foreigners in front of me. Immigration and police dont care. I drove through DKBA checkpoints on the way and Myanmar Army ones too. Was a beautiful drive and I hopefully will make it back across tomorrow.

So there is an element of just ignore it and hopes it goes away in the attitude of the locals.

We will see what happens next.

Huh that's interesting. Because prior to about 2013 the slightest disturbance or incident and foreigners would have been banned from traveling in an area where conflicts have arisen and there would have been travel bans lasting for unpredictable and lengthy periods, perhaps months or even years (think for example Payathongzu, which is opposite Thailand's Three Pagodas Pass - it was open on/off to foreigners up until 2007 but all of a sudden it closed and hasn't re-opened since, though there are apparently plans to re-open the town and make it an official border crossing to/from Thailand by 2015). It also took the authorities many months (if not a year or two) longer than originally planned to finally open up the road between Gyaing and Myawady to foreigners back in March 2013, although very, very few foreigners had passed through the road until August 28, 2013 when the border crossing between Myawady and Mae Sot finally became an official overland entry/exit point. This is because between March and August 28 of last year, you could go to Myawady but weren't allowed to cross into Thailand. For most travelers this would thus be pointless because backtracking would be required hence almost nobody would have attempted this.

BTW I have read more articles from the Irrawaddy related to the latest few skirmishes and the fighting that killed 4 at a restaurant near Kawkareik (edit: at first I thought it was the restaurant on the main road inside Kawkareik but another article stated that it's actually along the highway before Kawkareik, so must be somewhere up on the mountains, perhaps on one of the highest points where there's a small rest stop and monastery). Here's one article: http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/multimedia-burma/four-civilians-killed-myawaddy-shelling.html

Some of these articles mention the border closing being briefly closed. Therefore the original Bangkok Post article was accurate in its reporting, so I stand corrected. However, more concerning than the border crossing being closed is if the road to Hpa-an is open or not. As you say apart from brief periods where the road was closed (according to http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/fighting-karen-state-forces-villagers-flee.html#comment-512081 the road between Kawkareik and Myawady was closed for a period, probably a day or two prior to you passing through because the article was dated Oct 10). Thus as this article states, even for locals the road can be closed unpredictably if the situation gets out of hand.

But BTW any news on the new bypass road being built by the Thais? Supposedly it should open late this year and thus bypass the old road along the Dawna range. By the sounds of it, it hasn't opened yet. I wonder if these skirmishes are causing delays in it's opening?

Edited October 15, 2014 by Tomtomtom69

[gregk0543]

The new road is expected to open late 2015. I saw a report somewhere.

The shelling occurred on the kawkareik upside of the Dawna range.

Mortars are very difficult to aim and range so I think someone took a shot at the army post and it fell short.

They would have spotted the mistake and only fired the one round. Normally the first is a sighting shot the second will be adjusted from the first and gets pretty close. Thats my theory anyway. Someone out there knows they killed 4 innocents.

So I am back in Yangon now. A truck went over the edge between 12th to 16th and is still up there wrecked.

No problems coming back it is a bit unnerving though going along that road at snail pace behind 12 wheel trucks holding up long lines of traffic and realising you are a sitting duck.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152822817294380&l=8d95c10950

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152822819229380&l=7cbf105c30

[Tomtomtom69]

Thanks for that report. I know that road relatively well as I've been across it, back and forth 2 times now, all last year between October and November, so 1 year ago now and on one more occasion I stayed in Myawady overnight and went outside of Myawady numerous times on previous occasions too. In fact it was 1 year ago exactly today that I started out from Myawady early in the morning after staying overnight there for the first time, across this road to Hpa-an and I too saw bus carcasses etc., I think one of the buses I saw was there on all three trips but given how hair-raising that road is, due to the lack of guardrails and steep drops that didn't surprise me.

I understand now why that road was previously off limits between Gyaing and Myawady - that's because it's the same area that has now experienced problems but let's hope the two events were one off events and won't re-occur, though I wouldn't hold my breath either.

Hmm so the new road is now delayed by a year? I read a report somewhere suggesting it would open by the end of this year, but the report was from either the very beginning of this year or last year so may not be the most current. I'd have to do a search to see what the latest reports/articles say...however, the first 15km of road out of Myawady towards the mountain pass are beautiful tarmac now and was completed within months - back in January of 2013 before the official opening of the road I went past the industrial zone to within a few km of the mountain pass checkpoint on a day trip and the road starting 5km outside of Myawady was a dusty mess (although the road was fairly wide in places, due to roadworks). By October it was completely finished so while the Dawna pass road bypass is more technically challenging, I hope it will be completed sooner than expected. Fortunately this year's rainy season was nothing compared to last year so they were probably able to make more progress than last year.

Edited October 17, 2014 by Tomtomtom69