Myanmar will on Wednesday turn four border checkpoints with
Thailand into gateways for international visitors, immigration officials
said Tuesday.
Starting 8 a.m. Wednesday, any foreign national holding a valid
passport with a valid entry visa issued by Myanmar will be allowed to
enter and exit the country through the border checkpoints at
Tachileik-Mae Sai, Myawady-Mae Sot, Kawthoung-Ranong and Htee
Khee-Punaron, they said.
Currently, for foreign nationals entering via those checkpoints,
Myanmar issues either one-day border passes or entry visas that are
valid for up to a week but restricted to nearby towns.
But with the new arrangement, tourists and business travelers
who enter from those checkpoints will be allowed to travel anywhere
inside Myanmar except the officially restricted areas, the same status
as those who fly in via Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitaw international
airports.
Visitors entering via one of those four checkpoints will also be
able to use any other checkpoints to exit and reenter Myanmar,
including the three international airports.
The new arrangement, made possible under the recent agreement
between Myanmar and Thailand, will also allow Myanmar citizens with
passports and visas to enter and exit Thailand.
Authorities in Myanmar are hoping the move would benefit the
country's tourism industry, especially the insurgency stricken ethnic
minority states of Shan, Kayin and Mon, all bordering Thailand, which
largely lag behind the rest of the country in terms of development.
Myanmar received more than 1 million foreign tourists last year,
according to official figures, compared with Thailand's figure of more
than 22 million. The two countries share the long border of
approximately 2,400 kilometers.
The same system could be applied to some checkpoints along
Myanmar's borders with China and India in the future, officials said.
source: Global Post
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