Friendship Bridge No. 1, the border crossing between Tachileik in Myanmar and Mae Sai in Thailand was re-opened at 7:00 a.m. on Monday 20 February after being closed for almost three years due to COVID-19.

The bridge connects Mae Sai Town in Thailand’s Chiang Rai Province with Tachileik Town in Myanmar’s Shan State. It was one of the main trade routes between Myanmar and Thailand until it was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic on 24 March 2020.

A tourism business owner in Tachileik said: “We have been looking forward to the the reopening of the checkpoint for a very long time. However, the gate was only reopened this morning [20 February]. Local residents have yet to cross the bridge because they are waiting for further instructions from the local authorities on both sides.”

Initially, the bridge will only be open from 6:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. rather than from 6:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. as it was in the past, before it shut.

The junta is planning to install X-Ray machines on the Myanmar side of the border to inspect travellers and their luggage, according to travel agencies based in Tachileik.