Kanchanaburi: The Three Pagodas border pass is seeing more activity now that the government has eased restrictions to allow imports and exports via the frontier that lies between Thailand and Myanmar.
Kanchanaburi governor Jeerakiat Bhumsawat on Thursday announced the further easing of restrictions at the Three Pagodas Pass in Sangkhla Buri district to permit imports and exports on Wednesday and Thursday of the second and fourth week of each month.
Products allowed to cross include consumer products, livestock, seafood, poultry, agricultural produce and all types of daily essential items.
Live animal imports must be quarantined at the Kanchanaburi Animal Quarantine Station for at least one week before they can enter Thailand.
Prohibited products include cigarettes and all types of alcoholic beverages.
All the import and export procedures at the border pass must strictly comply with the Public Health Ministry's measures to prevent Covid-19 transmission. All freight trucks must be sprayed with disinfectant before they are permitted to enter or leave the kingdom.
Last year, Thai-Myanmar border trade at the Three Pagodas Pass was valued at around 355 million baht.
Of that amount, Thailand imported 72.3 million baht from the neighbouring country. Since the beginning of this year, Thailand's exports to Myanmar stood at 323 million baht while imports account for 69.7 million baht.
According to the World Health Organization, there have been 83,566 confirmed cases of Covid-19 with 1,810 deaths from Jan 3 to Nov 26 in Myanmar. Kanachanburi has been on public health alert after 21 Myanmar nationals were arrested after illegally crossing the border into Sangkhla Buri district, entering through a rubber plantation on Tuesday.
Nine men and 11 women, one with a child, were spotted walking in the rubber plantation at about 4am near Moo 8 village in tambon Nong Lu by a patrol of soldiers from the Surasee Force.
They were rounded up and taken to Sangkhla Buri police station.