5-10-2024 (YANGON) The Karen National Union (KNU), Myanmar’s prominent rebel group, has rebuffed calls to reopen the vital Asian Highway to Myawaddy on the Thai border, citing concerns that the military junta could exploit the route for strategic advances. This decision prolongs a year-long closure that has significantly disrupted regional trade and transportation.
The contentious issue came to a head in late September when leaders of the KNU and other ethnic Karen armed groups, including some aligned with the military regime, convened to discuss the potential reopening of the road. However, the talks, as reported by The Irrawaddy news site, failed to yield a breakthrough.
The Asian Highway, a crucial artery linking Myawaddy—opposite Thailand’s Mae Sot district in Tak province—with Tamu in Sagaing region near the Myanmar-India border, has seen a pivotal stretch from Kawkareik to Myawaddy closed since December last year. This closure followed a coordinated attack on Kawkareik by the KNU and its allies.
Both the Myanmar junta and the Thai government have been exerting pressure to reopen the road, arguing that it would alleviate rising consumer prices for food and essential goods. The regime in Nay Pyi Taw has reportedly enlisted its allies, including the Border Guard Force led by warlord Saw Chit Thu, to negotiate with the KNU.
However, KNU Brigade 6, which participated in the September meeting, remained steadfast in its refusal. A source close to the talks revealed to The Irrawaddy, “Saw Chit Thu called for the road to be reopened, but the KNU commanders refused.” The primary concern cited was the potential for the junta to use the highway to advance on Myawaddy, a strategically significant border town.
The ongoing closure has forced civilians and transport companies to resort to alternative routes that are not only in poor condition but also riddled with checkpoints manned by various militia groups. Reports suggest that there are at least 40 such checkpoints on two alternative routes, with approximately 1,000 vehicles traversing these paths daily. This situation has created a lucrative toll system benefiting multiple Karen armed groups.
The stalemate over the Asian Highway reopening underscores the complex web of alliances and conflicts in Myanmar’s ethnic regions. While some Karen groups, such as the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and the Karen National Liberation Army-Peace Council, are signatories to a 2015 ceasefire agreement and have engaged with the regime since the 2021 coup, others remain in active opposition.
Recent reports of skirmishes on the highway as late as September, involving remnant junta troops and resistance groups, further complicate the prospects for a swift resolution. The continued closure not only impacts local trade but also has broader implications for regional connectivity and economic cooperation.
