Although Thai goods continue to enter Mon State, traders and drivers report that transport costs have sharply increased due to the military junta’s restrictions on imports and crackdowns on unlicensed goods.
They said only well-connected businessmen with backing from powerful networks are now able to import Thai products, while smaller traders struggle to operate.
The junta closed the No. (2) Thai–Myanmar Friendship Bridge, the main trade route for Thai goods, in August, and has since been conducting arrests and inspections along the roads. As a result, goods are now being transported through a combination of land and water routes.
A Mon trader who imports goods from Thailand explained that imports are only possible through coordination with township-level junta officials or by obtaining permission from ethnic armed groups in Mon and Karen areas.
“Imports depend on connections. Before the restrictions, transport fees were only around 5,000 to 10,000 kyats per bag, but now they charge over 50,000 kyats. Most of the money goes to taxes and fees. On the Kyaikmaraw side, Karen groups collect taxes, and goods are delivered by boat and creek to the Ulay village route,” the trader said.
Large business owners continue to operate through informal routes, but small traders without connections have been forced to suspend their operations due to rising labor and tax costs.
A truck driver transporting Thai goods to Mon State said that, despite the high taxes and transport fees, the priority is simply to get the goods through.
“Now we’re just grateful when goods arrive. Since the closure of the Myawaddy trade zone, most imports have gone underground. We have to deal with Mon, Karen, and junta forces, all demanding taxes. The costs are unbearable, and most shipments from Myawaddy come across by raft,” he said.
Currently, Thai goods are entering Mon State mainly through the Payathonzu–Kyainseikgyi–Kyaikmaraw route, the Myawaddy–Htawtkawkoe–Mawlamyine route, and sections of the old Asia Highway.
Because these trade routes remain open, Mon State has not yet experienced the severe shortages and extreme price hikes seen in other regions, according to local retailers.
However, due to the junta’s continued seizures of unlicensed goods, many trucks carrying imports to major cities, including Yangon, have been stuck for months under restrictions.
