A Thai Senate visits to Three Pagoda Pass border town

 

Nai Chan Mon, Independent Mon News Agency

 

June 27 2005

 

A Thai high-level politician team led by a Senate

representing Border Affairs Committee paid a visit to

small furniture and lacquer factory in Burmese

territory of Three Pagoda Pass border town and Thai

customers have hoped that the border will be re-opened

next month, according the Burmese furniture traders.

 

It was the second team of Thai political community

from Bangkok that paid visit and was led by a former

military General from Senate. About 12 Thai

representatives visited to small furniture factories

and had a meeting with Burmese Army commander in Three

Pagoda, Lt. Col. Soe Htet.

 

“Thai delegates made sure that how Burmese furniture

factories are operating, and Burmese commander also

proved that how they (the people) are facing the

problems after closure of the border,” said a member

of Burmese Furniture Origination in the border town.

 

The majority of Thai customers who involve in trading

business of importing Burmese furniture, lacquers and

timbers have hoped that the border will be re-opened

next month, although there is no exact promise was

given by the Thai delegate, according a timber trader.

 

Three Pagoda Pass Thailand-Burma border was closed by

the Thai authorities after Thai Royal Forest

Department’s accusation came up that the woods and

timbers in Burmese factories were cut in Thai soil and

stole into Burma.

 

Thai border authorities ordered to stop importing all

furniture and lacquer from Burma on May 19, 2005, and

the Burmese army declared closure of the border on the

next day and barred Thai trucks and tourists to get

into Burmese territory.

 

After the border closure, majority of Three Pagoda

Pass residents in Burmese territory faced many

difficulties the price of commodities and fuel

rocketed.  All trading has been stopped and the

economy conditions have been deteriorated that suffer

most to the people in Burma.  More than 1, 000

furniture and lacquer workers became jobless and the

town become quite.

 

“Now we are thinking to let our workers to go back

their homes (in Mon State and Karen State) because we

don’t know when the border will be re-opened and we

are hopeless,” said a Mon factory owner who keep his

worker after the closure of the border.

 

“If the border will not open, this town soon become a

village, no trade, no people,” quoted a Mon community

leader during he talked to his friend about the

closure.