Increased fighting stymies Thanphyuzayart to Three Pagoda Pass trade routes

July 15th, 2010

The Thai/ Burma trade checkpoint for Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) is seen in April, 2010

Jaloon Htaw : Traders in Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) Township have shut down their trade routes after increased fighting between the Burmese army and insurgent Karen forces have made the road between TPP and Thanphyuzayart too dangerous to travel.

According to traders, the presence of Burmese army coastline command Light Infantry Battalion No. 409 and the Karen National Union’s (KNU) Battalion’s No. 16 and No. 17 has caused significant fighting along the route between Three Pagoda Pass town to Thanphyuzayart Town.

This route is the only road between TPP town and Thanphyuzayart. It is the primary trade route for traders brining Thai products form the border to Thanphyuzayart, and basic foodstuffs back to community’s living on the border.

Beginning in the last week of June to the present, traders have decided against taking the risk of traveling the route after KNU and Burmese army forces engaged each other on at least 4 occasions.

According to a source close to the KNU, on June 10th, 3 brief skirmishes with Burmese forces occurred. More recently on July 11th, at around 3 pm near Aplone village, TPP Township, KNU forces ambushed a Burmese unit and the Lieutenant commanding the unit was killed. Over the last two months the frequent clashes have lead to the deaths of over 30 Burmese soldiers.

“If they are always fighting, we don’t have security to travel this route. If they are still fighting at that time we try to travel, we will face danger,” said one merchant who trades groceries form TPP to Thanphyuzayart. “Then if they stop our car, it is takes a long time to arrive at the border.”

While valuing their safety, traders who have decided against traveling the route have begun to feel the economic impact.

The grocery trader in TPP town invested over 100,000 baht into his grocery store. On an average day when traders normally make the trip, he will turn a profit of 3,000 to 4,000 baht. However since traders have stopped traveling to Thanphyuzayart, where he normally buys his goods from a warehouse, he has not been able to restock his store. As a result his family has been living off of the money they had saved for their business.

“Because we can’t trade, I have no income,” the grocery trader told IMNA. “We’ve stopped our regular jobs. Now we have to use the money for re-investing [to survive], since we don’t have any profit.”

For regular citizens this absence of trade has also had a negative impact. As products become more scare, villagers dependent on goods coming from Thanphyuzayart or from TPP village, will have to contend with increased prices.

“If we cannot trade our goods, [those people] who need our goods will meet with problems,” explained one trader. “Also the prices of the goods will increase. If we can’t cross this way [soon], we will have to find another way [to trade]. We’ll have to look at the situation [as it progresses].”

Most of the manufactured goods that are useful every day throughout Burma are imported from just over the border in Thailand; Most of the home and food products often used, including rice, oil, onions, etc. are exported to the border areas, from within Burma.

The trader added, “In TPP, the population is estimated to be 50,000 just in town and almost 100,000 are in the Township – [all] using the goods imported to TPP.”

According to a political observer based out of TPP, the, Burmese army and KNU will continue fighting frequently throughout 2010. He told IMNA that he believes the Burmese army now has an even greater interest in wiping KNU forces out of the area.

“Burma’s authorities will destroy those who will make a conflict in the election period. They will likely fight like that again and the traders will continue to meet [these] problems.”

Nai Kao Rot a retired member of the NMSP, told IMNA that the KNU want to disrupt the Burmese efforts to hold the 2010 election. He added that one way they appear to be attempting this is by asserting that they still control their territory, and can engage the Burmese military presence.