A second bridge across the Moei River will soon link Thailand and Myanmar. The Second Friendship Bridge, which will link Myawaddy with the border town of Mae Sot, Thailand, aims to boost cross-border freight and personnel traffic. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held October 30th.

The new bridge will operate along side the original Friendship Bridge, also located in Myawaddy. For decades, the Friendship Bridge has hosted the bulk of land exchanges between the two countries, however trade is rapidly increasing.

The legal border trade is overshadowed by smuggling through unofficial border crossings. These are often controlled by ethnic armed groups offering cheaper and easier passage of goods. As it works with Thailand to develop the East-West Economic Corridor, the government has attempted to cut down border smuggling. In May, Khun Pakainay, former Thai Minister Counsellor for Commercial Affairs to Myanmar, told the Myanmar Times that such infrastructure projects are key to encouraging traders to choose legal channels. “Myanmar should try to fulfill the needs of people in border areas such as water, power and infrastructure. If the procedures for commerce become simpler and clearer, legal trade between two countries will grow,” he said.