New Visa run to Myanmar

[Big Boy]

I guess I was asking if it would be possible for me to drive to Mergui without a Myanmar licence?

[buksida]

I guess I was asking if it would be possible for me to drive to Mergui without a Myanmar licence?

Have you seen the road to Myeik? No neither have I because there isn't one! Only way there is to fly.

I still don't think farangs can cross at Singkhon, will ride up in a couple of days and try it.

[usual suspect]

Singkhon rumoured to open tomorrow..!!! (May 8th).
If that's true alot of us can stick a big finger in the face of HH Immigration that has made many of us (me included last week) jump thru' needless hoops for years now...

And no more Andaman Club round-trips wayhayyy!

[cookmanchef]

They will build a new road from the border crossing to the coast as part of this agreement, don't have a time schedule yet but it will happen.

Some Thai agents are already looking at running tours from HH to the Andaman coast at Myeik and no doubt there will be options to drive to Singkhon and leave your car there, not sure if the "Car Passport' rule is the same as Laos in Burma.

[caller]

They will build a new road from the border crossing to the coast as part of this agreement, don't have a time schedule yet but it will happen.

Do you mean from the border to the Burmese coast - that's a big distance? There's already a perfectly good road from the border to the coast on the Thai side.

[caller]

I don't need to do visa runs, but I'm wondering if this might become an interesting day trip.

It very much is. Probably worth combining with a night in PKK as well? I was told Saturday is the best day for the market, but I don't know if that is really the case, as that's the only day I visited (3/4 times in all).

Assuming you don't know the area(?), some relevant threads here:

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16969

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=15570

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17492

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=11710

[bapak]

#1 at Hua Hin Immigration today said there was no Immigration office there and did not know when there would be.

[usual suspect]

The PKK Immigration office is on your right soon after turning off the main highway..as for at the border?..I would presume some sort of office will be up & running there now..??
(No mention anywhere yet of us being able to get 90 day stamps etc. there yet tho'..??)

[Big Boy]

Myanmar on Wednesday unilaterally upgraded its Mortong border checkpoint with Thailand to the status of a permanent pass, with Bangkok dragging its feet and still to officially announce the promised change.

The frontier crossing links the Myanmar township with Singkhorn checkpoint in Muang district of Prachuap Khiri Khan.

Prachuap governor Veera Sriwattanatrakul said at the ceremony to open the Myanmar border office that Thailand had not officially announced a matching upgrade from temporary to permanent checkpoint because of unsettled border demarcation issues in the area.

Thai and Myanmar officials were due to survey the border from May 27-30, he said.

The upgrading of the Myanmar checkpoint allows Thais holding a passport or a border pass to travel on Myanmar vehicles to Mergui, a key town on the Andaman coast in the Tanintharyi Region 200 kilometres from the Thai border.

Tun Tun Win, vice chairman of the Chamber of Trade and Industry of Mergui, said a permanent crossing would stimulate economic ties between Thailand and Mergui.

The main trade route with Thailand from Mergui is through Kawthaung to Ranong of Thailand.

He expected more trade through Prachuap Khiri Khan once Thailand announces a matching upgrade and the road from Myanmar to the border has been improved.

The main imports from Mergui are seafood products.

Myanmar plans to set up an industrial estate near the Singkhorn pass, Tun Tun Win said.

Mergui is also called Myeik.

Thailand and Myanmar plan to open two other permanent checkpoints - at Three Pagodas Pass and Ban Nam Pu Ron, both in Kanchanaburi.

Source: Bangkok Post

[buksida]

The upgrading of the Myanmar checkpoint allows Thais holding a passport or a border pass to travel on Myanmar vehicles to Mergui, a key town on the Andaman coast in the Tanintharyi Region 200 kilometres from the Thai border.

As I mentioned above, farangs still cannot cross at this border, there is no immigration office on the Burmese side to handle international arrivals.

The road to Mergui is also still being built so it is not possible to drive there yet ... unless you have a serious off-road vehicle!

It is a great step in the right direction though!

[Ratsima]

Assuming you don't know the area(?), some relevant threads here:

Thanks. Just what I was looking for.

[usual suspect]

This border-crossing 'upgrade' seems to be a bit of a farce..Thais with passports allowed only.
Burma are gonna start importing seafood..what for? (Has the Thais not got enuf prawn farms etc?) Will they have a hefty import tax levied?..oh no Yingluck will waiver that I bet.
It's looking like all the fanfare & press coverage this last week has no relevance to us Ex-pats whatsoever.

[dtaai-maai]

US, you're thinking from a 'farang-centric' viewpoint. The Thai/Burma authorities aren't opening this border crossing up for the convenience of border runners and curious day-trippers - I doubt that figured in their reasoning at all.

I dare say other nationalities will be able to use it in due course, but it takes a while to get a proper immigration control set up on both sides, not to mention the political will and the money.

As Buksida said - it's a step in the right direction.

[usual suspect]

Yeah, you're right D-M..I got my hopes up of an easy border-run, plus overnight stay in P.K.K. on my agenda, thinking wayhayy..bye-bye Ranong..ho-hum eh?

[buksida]

US, you're thinking from a 'farang-centric' viewpoint. The Thai/Burma authorities aren't opening this border crossing up for the convenience of border runners and curious day-trippers

Correct. The Thais are also not willing to setup an immigration point right on the border so all those muppets on that big "Visa Website" that are harping on about a new border run are vastly misinformed.