Muse 105th-Mile trade zone becomes active again

TRADE is slowly coming back to life again along the Mandalay- Muse route after a complete halt last month resulting from the armed conflicts between the government troops and the ethnic armed groups of the Northern Alliance.

As the armed conflicts stopped and stability returns, traffic resumes on the Mandalay- Muse Union Highway, and the Muse 105th-Mile trade zone becomes active again. Although trade has not become normal yet, the road is alive once more with private cars, passenger coaches and trucks large and small plying on it daily. From 50 to 100 trucks carrying fruits, live cattle, rice, aquatic products, rubber, chilled meat, beans and so on are entering the trade zone every day at present. Before the battles took place, an average of 180 trucks entered the zone every day. Exports from China including machinery, motorcycles, solar panels, steel pipes, tiles, bicycles, mobile phones, chemical fertilizers are also arriving at the zone. Beforehand, from 250 to 300 trucks from China came to the zone, but now the number has fallen to over 160, according to officials of the trade zone.
During the fruit harvesting seasons, the number of trucks arriving at the zone from both sides of the border even reached 12000. Trucks are charging from K 50 to K 55 per viss, depending on the type of goods. Normally a 22-wheel truck fetches about K 4 million for one Muse-Yangon run. As or one Muse-Mandalay trip, the regular charge is K 1.7 million. Cars coming from Muse charge more than the cars going to Muse, according to local traders.
During the skirmishes, agents and freight-handling workers faced a lot of hardships, as all the operations came to a halt during the time, according to the zone staff.
“Not a single car even entered the zone for nearly 20 days. So we had no income then. Not only us (agents), but also companies, brokerages, entrepreneurs, truck owners, drivers, company staff and workers faced hardships. Besides, shopkeepers and vendors relying on those people also had a hard time. But now, the situation has improved, as cars from both sides of the border have returned,” said an agent.
“There was no work and income for my men (freight handlers) during the time. Fortunately, they could breathe again thanks to the rice and cooking oil provided by welfare organizations. But now battles have died down, and trade resumes. So my men have regular income once again,” said U Hla Htay Win, a supervisor of freight handling yard.
“I have been driving up and down on this road for nearly ten years. I was forced to halt my work during the time battles occurred. Now, the satiation has returned to normal. First, I made contacts with my counterparts, and then come back again together with them in a convoy of trucks,” said Ko Min Thu, a truck driver.
Thant Zin (Muse)
(Translated by TMT)
PHOTO: THANT ZIN (MUSE)
Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar