Trade decreases in Myawadi

 

Chan Mon, IMNA

July 11, 2005

 

Cooking oil and Thai goods’ trade have decreased in Myawadi, Thailand-Burma border town, after the Burmese government seizing illegal oil, that importing from Thailand a long way up to Rangoon, according to traders.

 

“All of unpaid duty custom oil was not allowed to import up to Rangoon. In recent week, some buses carrying oil were seized. Currently the military checkpoint in Mupalin, on the main road (from Mon State) to Rangoon, has been seizing Thai goods,” a women trader, who opened a shop in Myawadi said.

 

“If you paid for duty, you can. But the authorities have limited it. If you paid custom duty, you will obtain very, very small amount profit. For the small investor no benefit,” Nai Shwe, a Mon trader said.

 

For years until the last weeks ago, Myawadi town has set up black market and black trades for trading of oil and Thai goods. Traders involved in trading with understanding of with the SPDC local authorities and importing Thai goods from Myawadi to Hpa-an (Capital of Karen State) with paying custom duties. And them they continuously imported to Rangoon.

 

“Now a businessman who invested 10 million Kyat a time in trading, get profit 30, 000 Kyat. With a mini car, they could get profit just 3, 000 Kyat each time,” Nai Shwe, a Mon trader said.

 

Myaing-kyi-nguu Trading, the biggest oil trading concession belonged to Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) has decreased in carrying the oil by their trucks. In the past, the DKBA imported oil and Thai goods with 15 trucks each time to inside Burma. But now only seven or three trucks left each time,” according to a trader who close to DKBA said.

 

Small traders with less invested money have stopped in trading and just some great traders remained in the border trading, according to the traders.

 

Accordingly to the traders, they can import Thai goods only to Hpa-an, and it is risk to import to Rangoon. They have to pay 600 Kyat per oil can for transport cost from border to Hpa-an, the capital of Karen State.

 

Oil trading is the main business in Myawadi, which situates in the opposite of a Thailand’s town – Mae Sot. Most of cooking oil are imported to Rangoon and Southern Burma area for the civilians.

 

Currently a 16 Litre can of oil price in Myawadi is between 16, 000 (~ 16 US Dollar) and 17, 000 Kyat (~ 17 US Dollar) and it is about 18, 000 Kyat – 20, 000 Kyat in Burma.  

 

Restriction of trades and border closure have also limited border trade in the border area of eastern Burma, the civilians in the country face shortage of goods and the price of goods also gradually increased. 

 

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