Border trade in Mae Sot hit hard by fighting in Myanmar’s Myawaddy

The Rim Moei market near the Thai-Myanmar border in Mae Sot district of Tak, which is usually packed with shoppers and tourists, especially during weekends, has been eerily quiet since the flare-up in fighting between junta and rebel forces last week.

Many shops in the market have closed due to the lack of customers.

Thanatporn Phakham, a trader in the market, said that the current situation is worse than the post-COVID pandemic period, when customers started to visit the market again.

Another vendor said that the unpredictable situation is causing customers to hesitate to visit the market. She said that intense fighting erupts, with the sounds of explosions and bursts of gunfire, then everything goes quiet for few days before fighting erupts again.

The vendors assert, however, that the market is safe, but visitors are not convinced.

Traders in the fresh market in Mae Sot district…