KNU reopen key highway from to Thanphyuzayart

December 7, 2011

IMNA – The Karen National Union (KNU) has reopened the main highway from the Thai-Burma border township of Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) to Thanphyuzayart today, December 7th. The  highway leading from the township to Thanphyuzayart has been closed since the beginning of the rainy season. Each year the road becomes unusable as many sections are engulfed by floodwaters.
Of the three main routes that allow residents to travel from TPP to Thanphyuzayart, the direct highway is the safest and shortest route. The most commonly used alternate route, from TPP to Ye Township, is very hazardous and a lot of accidents occur along the windy and perilous road.
“(KNU) started to collect tax from car owners today, who will run the highway TPP to Thanphyuzayart” said one car driver hoping to depart from TPP.
The KNU have set the tax for 2012 to use the roadway at 11,300 baht per car for an annual pass. This has increased from the 10,300 baht price in 2010, which also required a parcel of rice.
“We have paid the tax today and we can travel tomorrow” said another driver waiting in TPP.
Along the highway to Thanphyuzayart, which comprises approximately 60 miles of the total 70-mile journey from TPP, there are a reported 33 checkpoints along the road. In addition to the initial taxes paid by residents in TPP, each checkpoint requires a payment of varying degrees. The checkpoints are controlled by the KNU, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), by Burmese government troops and by the New Mon State Party (NMSP).
On January the 28th this year, the KNLA demanded that TPP residents pay approximately 2.5 million baht collectively. This is again an increase from the 700,000 baht estimated to have been collected in 2010.
The TPP Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) have claimed that the KNLA threatened the TPDC with destruction in the local area if the taxes were not raised and handed over. The township has seen an increase in conflict since the KNLA moved into the area, and conflict has even occurred in the town centre, a new and disturbing phenomenon.
Last year the KNLA Brigade no. 6 blocked the highway so as to disrupt the movement of government troops and food supplies in the area. This year’s cool season is the first major opportunity for residents to utilize the road for trade since 2010, despite the trip being stalled continuously by checkpoints and taxes.