Severe traffic congestion occurs every morning on the Myawaddy side in front of the Myawaddy–Mae Sot No. 1 Friendship Bridge on the Myanmar–Thailand border, with vehicles blocking the road to the extent that pedestrians have difficulty passing through, according to local residents.
A Myawaddy resident in Kayin State said the daily morning traffic congestion at the entrance to the Myawaddy Friendship Bridge is caused by vehicles heading to Thailand and vehicles belonging to local travelers being parked indiscriminately. The authorities need to take stricter measures to manage the situation, the resident said.
“Even Buddhist monks going on alms rounds have to carefully make their way through the traffic. We would like the authorities to take action to ensure that vehicles are properly lined up and parked in an orderly manner on such a wide main road,” the resident said.
A driver said passenger pick-up and drop-off vehicles from Myawaddy previously entered Thailand two or three times a day, but now they enter only once a day because Thai customs reportedly charges a 300-baht fee to vehicles making two entries on the grounds that they are entering to refuel.
“They no longer distinguish between school buses and shopping vehicles. If we enter twice, customs simply charges 300 baht, saying that we are going to refuel. When we asked whether the charge was official, they told us that if we did not want to pay, we should not enter. Myanmar vehicles cannot enter Thailand free of charge. We have to obtain what is known as ‘Pagan’ insurance, and we also have to pay 100 baht each time we enter,” the driver said.
He added that Thai authorities generate significant revenue from Myanmar nationals traveling to Thailand, saying that each person pays 40 baht and that more than 2,000 people cross in both directions each day. Vehicles also pay 100 baht each, with hundreds of vehicles crossing daily. However, he alleged that Myanmar nationals and Myanmar vehicles are frequently treated unfairly.
A resident living near the Myawaddy Friendship Bridge said the road becomes congested because vehicles that stop near the No. 1 bridge entrance to wait for passengers, rather than proceeding to Mae Sot, are parked in double rows.
“The vehicles going to Mae Sot are moving along without stopping in their respective lanes. The congestion should be cleared starting from the area in front of Kyan Khin School,” the resident said.
In addition, some fuel stations in Myawaddy reportedly do not sell fuel to vehicles with licenses at government-set prices, instead selling fuel only at unofficial market prices to unlicensed vehicles. This has reportedly led to more people traveling to Thailand to purchase fuel.
