Myanmar talks tackle border river issues

Thailand and Myanmar were expected to discuss on Wednesday the possibility of dismantling buildings that protrude over the Mae Sai River as part of bilateral cooperation efforts to tackle the area’s flooding problems.
Lt Gen Natthaphong Phraokaeo, chief of the Royal Thai Army’s Department of Border Affairs, said on Tuesday that a proposal approved by the Thai authorities on Monday would be discussed at a meeting of the Thai-Myanmar joint committee on the boundary of the Mae Sai and Nam Ruak rivers.
In the proposal, the Thai side states that it believes the Mae Sai River should maintain an average width of at least 30 metres to improve the water flow and significantly reduce the risk of run-off overflowing the river banks, he said.
To achieve this goal, a strong mutual commitment to remove protruding structures from the river is required, he said.
“The ultimate goal for 2025 is that flooding that results from Mae Sai overflowing will be successfully prevented,” Lt Gen Natthaphong said.
Lt Gen Natthaphong also explained that, in 2018, the Myanmar side had proposed that both sides remove buildings protruding into the Mae Sai and Nam Ruak rivers in 13 locations, six of them on the Myanmar side and seven on the Thai side.
However, he noted that the proposal has not led to any action until now.
Therefore, at Wednesday’s meeting, both sides aim to at least reach an agreement on concrete measures that will possibly help sustain their flood prevention efforts, curb the risk of an unexpected natural disaster, and mitigate its impact on both nations, he said.
Also expected to be discussed at Wednesday’s joint committee meeting was a proposal for Thailand and Myanmar to develop a new joint operation plan for flood prevention in the long term, which should begin with a new boundary survey and demarcation, he said.
According to a source, Thai authorities on Oct 1 objected to activity on the Myanmar side of the Mae Sai River as thick muddy debris from flooding was being dumped into the river.
Following the objection submitted to the Thai-Myanmar Township Border Committee (TBC), Myanmar authorities ordered the activity to be stopped and later explained that the action was conducted by a private party who might not be aware of the joint border regulations and laws.
Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also sent a written objection to its Myanmar counterpart over the unlawful dumping of mud into the river. The latter reaffirmed the matter had already been taken care of.