Myanmar Junta Intensifies Crackdown on Thai Goods Entering via Myawaddy
The military junta has stepped up inspections, arrests, and seizures of Thai goods entering Myanmar through the border town of Myawaddy in Karen State, raising mounting concern among traders and cargo drivers.
The crackdown follows a wave of arrests and prosecutions targeting illegal cross-border trade. Traders and drivers bringing in Thai merchandise with the assistance of junta-aligned Karen armed groups have been detained, along with members of the armed factions who facilitated the shipments.
“Almost everyone who helped the trucks get through—including the drivers—was arrested and sentenced to two to three years in prison,” said a trader operating along the route between Myawaddy and Hpa-An, the Karen State capital. “Now, even if we negotiate with the armed groups, we can’t transport goods anymore. The junta seizes the cargo and the vehicles, and arrests the people. There is no way to negotiate.”
Despite the intensified enforcement, locals have continued bringing in supplies via illicit bypass routes with the help of armed groups.
Cargo drivers report that stricter junta checkpoints have caused major transit delays. Drivers frequently wait in nearby forests for two to three days until routes are deemed safe enough to proceed.
These prolonged delays have driven up operational costs and eroded profit margins, forcing many traders to continue the risky operation solely to sustain their livelihoods, another trader explained.
“If the route isn’t safe, transit can take four or five days, which increases our expenses,” he said. “However, we can’t significantly raise retail prices to cover those costs, so our profit margin becomes minuscule—just enough to cover basic living expenses. It’s no longer a viable business.”
The junta’s sustained blockade and confiscation of food and consumer goods are disrupting supply chains beyond Karen State, with traders warning that continued restrictions could lead to severe shortages for ordinary consumers nationwide.
The crackdowns have also fueled internal political tensions. Investigations revealed that members of junta-affiliated armed groups—including the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC) and the Karen Border Guard Forces (BGF)—were involved in the recent transport operations that led to the regime’s seizures.
