In reality, despite Thailand closing its international borders back in April, some of the country's land borders are nearly impossible to seal and prevent the 'leaks' of locals from crossing. Thailand has land and river borders with Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia-all with official checkpoints but also hundreds of well-worn tracks as villages cross the official borders casually.
Thai officials downplayed Covid-19's threat across the leaky boundaries, while neighbouring countries had a small number of new infections. But now in the last week, Myanmar has had a spike ... 40-90 new cases a day. At this stage, most cases were in the state of Rakhine, on Myanmar's western side, not on the Thai border side.
It should be noted that the risk of transmission of viruses is extremely low as these traditional villages have been trading with each other for centuries and are unlikely to travel beyond their neighbouring towns. There is simply no access to larger population centres in many cases.
But the Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is ordering all access routes to Myanmar from the western Kanchanaburi province of Thailand to be closed following the wave of infections across the Burmese border.
Officially, companies were able to continue trade between the two countries, and import and export products as usual by specifying a delivery point at the border crossing without allowing Burmese operators to deliver goods to Thailand or visa vice versa.
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Officially closed routes include the Phu Nam Ron checkpoint in Kanchanburi's southern section, Ban Khao, Bongdi checkpoint, Thayok district, Ban E Tong's 'natural channel,' Thong Pha Phum, and the largest, Sangkhlaburi's Three Pagodas border checkpoint. Much of the western Thai border with Myanmar is an impassable mountainous tropical jungle, and almost impossible to control the villagers' passage effectively.
But yesterday Thai army officials met with the main city district officials, Sai Yok and Sangkhlaburi districts, to discuss Covid-19 prevention measures near the Three Pagodas checkpoint. Following a fresh outbreak in the Sittwe area in the state of Rakhine, Myanmar has now found patients
In the Burmese city of Mawlamyine, just 270 kilometres from the Three Pagodas pass, suspected new cases have been discovered. Army officers, police, immigration office and village chiefs are tightening up the monitoring of natural channels from the Ban Nam Koek checkpoint to the Three Pagodas area, including nightly patrols. In both Thailand and Myanmar, there are more than 20 natural channels that villagers use to cross borders around the area.
Thai military officials say a Covid-19 outbreak in the area would cause "huge damage to the local economy," as the province of Kanchanaburi is a major tourist destination for Thais and foreign tourists.
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