Thread: Myanmar agrees to reopen Three Pagoda Pass border crossing

Myanmar has agreed to reopen Three Pagoda Pass border crossing today (July 27) after Thai authorities agreed that they suspended a border road construction temporarily during the rainy season.

Myanmar soldiers closed the border checkpoint between Payathonzu town on the Myanmar side and Thailand’s Three Pagoda Pass in Sangkhlaburi district on Wednesday (July 26) in a protest against the expansion of Highway 323 from Sangkhlaburi to the Three Pagoda Pass that caused rainwater and mud to flood the Myanmar border town.

Myanmar residents complained that the past few days there were heavy downpours in the area, causing the rainwater and mud to flow from the road being expanded to Payathonzu town on the Myanmar side.

On being reported of border checkpoint closure, Thai authorities including Col Sitthiporn Julpana, deputy commander of the Lat Ya Task Force, Sangkhlaburi district police and local officials, and Lt Col Direk Phonpakdi, chief of the Thai-Myanmar coordination team went to the border checkpoint.

The Thai and Myanmar authorities agreed to hold a talk at 2pm to find solutions to the problem.

The Myanmar side initially wanted the Thai authorities to suspend the road expansion work to allow both sides to look for ways of diverting rainwater from the direction of Payathonzu, where residents were said to have suffered from flooding and the mud flows.

It was reported that the Thai highway officials had moved the heavy equipment to a road building centre at Ban Song Karia, while the Thai and Myanmar authorities were negotiating.

The Thai authorities agreed to temporarily halt the road expansion work during the rainy season, while, the Myanmar side agreed to pull out their troops and reopen the border crossing today.

Myanmar agrees to reopen Three Pagoda Pass border crossing - Thai PBS English News