Lweje and Sittway border gates reopened

Reported by Staff Correspondent Edited by MWT

Sittway border trade station seen in early July Two of the four border gates temporarily closed recently at the borders with China and Bangladesh have been opened. An official from the border trade department said that 208 tons of fresh water fish was exported through Sittway border trade station during the first week of July. Lweje and Kanpaite border gates in Myanmar-China border and Sittway and Maungtaw border gates in Rakhine State were temporarily closed recently. The two border gates in Rakhine were closed from 9 June until recently. The official said, “Maungtaw and Sittway Border gates in Rakhine State were closed starting from 9 June and trade activities came to a stop. Recently, 208 tons of fresh water worth US$ 0.20755 was exported through Sittway Border Gate. Although border trade has been opened by Myanmar side since the third week of June, trade activities could not be resumed due to the situation in Rakhine State. Muse border gate is the largest among the 13 border trade stations in Myanmar, handling from 80 percent to 90 percent of total border trade. During the period from 1 April to 15 June in 2011-2012 fiscal year, Sittway border trade station handled US$ 1.215 million worth of exports and US$ 0.027 million worth of imports.