The military government of Myanmar has restricted trade and the border crossing between Thailand and Myanmar has been closed

The Myawaddy Bridge, the busiest trade port between Thailand and Myanmar, was closed for the second consecutive day on Tuesday (August 19).

The AFP reported that the spokesperson of the Myanmar military's border defense forces, Nai Mong Soh, said that the Myawaddy border crossing has been closed since Monday (18th), prohibiting "trade vehicles" from passing through.

According to data from the Thai customs, the Myawaddy border Crossing carries over 120 million US dollars in trade volume between Thailand and Myanmar every month.

However, on the highway connecting the Myawaddy border Crossing and Yangon, the Myanmar army is engaged in a civil war with a large number of guerrillas. These guerrillas used the highly profitable toll stations to raise funds for the war.

The military has promised to crack down on illegal trade that funds the opposition before the general election on December 28th.

A source from the Thai security department stationed at the border, who preferred to remain anonymous, disclosed that the military government has formulated various regulations in an attempt to prevent guerrillas from making money or reaping benefits.

The military government also announced on Monday that it would start phased elections at the end of December and claimed that this was a shortcut to ending the civil war.

In recent weeks, the military has made limited progress in its fight against armed groups and seized the rear positions where elections can now be held. It is expected that the voting will take several weeks to complete.

Last week, the head of the military government, Min Aung hlaing, promised to crack down on opposition forces in the border areas, saying that they "use the profits from illegal trade to strengthen their own power."

The military government has also introduced strict new laws, stipulating that those who criticize or protest against the election can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.