Hundreds of thousands of Myanmar have lost their livelihoods since the March 27 halt on the Myawaddy-Dona-Taung-Kyaw Road, an important trade route on the Burma-Thailand border, according to border traders. More than 1,000 small and large vehicles, including passenger cars, were stopped on March 27 while transporting goods to and through Thailand through the Myawaddy border trade point, which trades most with Thailand.
According to a border trader, the shootings at the border trade route cause hundreds of thousands of damage to Burmese agricultural products every day. Myanmar agricultural products from Myawaddy to Thailand, such as raw peppers, peanuts and onions, cannot be stored for long. Onions are shipped to Vietnam and Laos.
Myanmar maize crop is also unaffordable and the Thai market is understaffed. Imports of soft drinks and foodstuffs to the domestic market were reduced two months ago due to restrictions on imports, but imports of steel, tin, cement and other urgent necessities were reduced. Traffic on the Dona Taung Kyaw trade route, which carries about 300 trucks daily, has been suspended since March 27 and is awaiting reopening.
Source: Daily Eleven