Myanmar import curbs disrupt Mae Sai on September 21 as Tachileik eggs reach 15 baht each
School minibuses were caught in queues at the Mae Sai–Tachileik border as Myanmar suspended imports of frozen food and other goods from Thailand
- Myanmar temporarily suspended imports of certain goods, including frozen food, from Thailand, causing major trade and traffic disruptions at the Mae Sai–Tachileik border crossing.
- The reason for the import suspension was that the goods had not passed required standards checks and Myanmar taxes had not been properly paid.
- The disruption led to significant traffic congestion on the border bridge and caused the price of chicken eggs in the Myanmar town of Tachileik to surge to 15 baht each.
Myanmar’s temporary suspension of imports of frozen food and several other products from Thailand disrupted trade and traffic at the Mae Sai–Tachileik border crossing on September 21, 2026. School minibuses were among the vehicles caught in queues as traders struggled to move goods across the border.
Congestion was reported at about 7am on the first bridge over the Sai River, linking Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai with Tachileik in Myanmar. The crossing had opened at 6am, the usual time for Thai and Myanmar traders to gather with fresh food, vegetables, fruit and frozen products destined for Tachileik’s markets.
Myanmar authorities had recently imposed the temporary import suspension because the affected goods had not passed the required standards checks and Myanmar taxes had not been properly paid.
Small traders who depend on daily sales were left unable to transport their goods across the border as usual. Traders carrying loads and stationary trolleys obstructed traffic in the middle of the bridge, with minibuses bringing pupils from Tachileik caught in the resulting queues.
The disruption had increased the cost of carrying goods across the border and that chicken eggs in Tachileik had risen to 15 baht each.
Thai officials intervened to organise traffic and asked traders to restrict loading and unloading on the bridge to between 6am and 9am.
