March 21, 2020

The Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge (1) in Myawady, Kayin State, will be temporarily closed for 14 days starting from 21 March, according to Kayin State Hluttaw representative U Thant Zin Aung of Myawady constituency 2.

The closure is a preventive measure against COVID-19 but friendship bridge (2) will still be open, said U Thant Zin Aung. He added that the closing period may be extended in the future but travel on the second bridge with temporary border passes and border passes will still be allowed. The move is meant to concentrate screening for the virus in one place.

Residents on both sides of the border can still travel on the friendship bridge (2) after being screened for body temperature and having a border pass. —Ye Kaung, Zaw Gyi (Translated by Zaw Htet Oo)

KOICA will provide USD 10 million to the project, which aims to develop a virtual private network through a fibre network between the Road Transport Administration Department’s main office and 55 branch offices. This will help speed up the department’s main duties concerning inspection and registration of vehicles and issuing driving licences through online applications. The project is slated to finish by 2030.

This project will be uploaded to the government’s Project Bank website as it conforms with the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan.— MNA (Translated by Zaw Htet Oo)