January 23, 2006
Thailand, Burma open second bridge
The opening of this bridge is good in a way, that means more communication between Burmese people and their relatives in Thailand and vice versa. I just hope that this does not mean increase of sex trade of Burmese girls who are sold/sent/smuggled/brought to Thailand to work as prostitutes.
Because those girls don't get any help from the Thai government or the Burmese government or anybody for that matter.
The Thai government gives out condoms to the Thai prostitues, they treat the girls who have HIV and they investigate those who have been abused. But they don't have any jurisdiction (or they don't care) or any funding for the Burmese girls who are working as sex workers. (or why should they? this means the Thai Health Ministry spends less money - and the Tourism in the area still booms, win - win situation for them, as I see it )
His "excellency" Nyan Win, (having a cup of tea and not caring about the state of Burmese girls forced to work as prostitutes in the Burma/Thai Border) who presided over the opening ceremony of the Second Mae Sai Friendship Bridge between Burma and Thailand
Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon, who presided over the opening ceremony of the Second Mae Sai Friendship Bridge in the Chiang Rai Province.
Thailand, Burma open second bridge
CHIANG RAI, Jan 22 (TNA) - A flow of friendly faces--Thai and Myanmar people--characterised a kind of cross-border 'happy hour' traffic between Thailand and Myanmar on Sunday, as the two countries relaxed the need for cross-border documentation.
Thailand and Myanmar on Sunday opened a second friendship bridge across the Mae Sai River, the natural border demarcating the two countries, which Thailand hopes will not only boost bilateral trade but trade with southern China as well.
Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon and his Myanmar counterpart U Nyan Win jointly presided over the opening ceremony of the Second Mae Sai Friendship Bridge at Baan Sanpakhi, Mae Sai subdistrict, Chiang Rai province.
The bridge links Thailand's northern province of Chiang Rai with the Myanmar town of Tachilek. More than 10,000 Thai and Myanmar people also attended the ceremony.
The bridge, completed in March 2004, is expected to be a boon to Chiang Rai's special economic zone in the near future.
The two ministers also held talks on many issues regarding goods transportation from Thailand to the southern part of China via Myanmar and the prevention of drug trafficking along the Thai-Myanmar border.
The new 90-metre bridge also gives Thailand an improved road link to China. The first border bridge opened in 1967, but it could not accommodate increased traffic between the two countries.
Posted by Yangon Thu at January 23, 2006 02:29 PM