A border crossing between Myanmar and Thailand reopened today, three years after it closed due to the pandemic.
Today marked the reopening of the Mae Sai-Tachileik checkpoint and Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge connecting Chiang Rai province to Myanmar’s Tachileik province with a ceremony attended by local VIPs.
People from the Thai and Myanmar sides wore traditional garb and carried flags as they crossed the bridge and converged for an opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting.
Chiang Rai deputy governor Somwang Boonrayong said the renewed link would foster Thai-Myanmar relations. The crossing will be open 6:30am to 6:30pm daily, but Somwang said the hours would be extended to 9pm in one month.
Those who wish to cross to Tachileik province can apply for border passes at the Mae Sai District Office or submit relevant documents at the immigration checkpoint in Chiang Rai with a photocopy of COVID-19 ATK test results.
The border crossing had been closed since March 24, 2020.
Correction: An earlier version of the story misspelled the name of the crossing and the Myanmar province it connected. It is Tachileik, not Tachileak.
