Tachileik

State

Tachilek is a small town in Myanmar ( Burma). It is located in the southeast of the Shan State in the Golden Triangle. The river Mae Nam Sai here separates Myanmar from Thailand. On the other side of the river, in Thailand, the town of Mae Sai is. The landscape is classified as predominantly hilly to mountainous, but while much of the metropolitan area was built in the valley.

Population

Tachileks population consists of a number of different ethnic groups. They include Burmese, Shan, Thai, Bangladeshi, Indian, Chinese, and Related regional mountain peoples.

Economy and labor market

The plagued by large ethnic differences, a military dictatorship and the ongoing clashes between local armies country is economically much weaker than neighboring Thailand. But this results in opportunities for Tachilek, whose inhabitants often commute daily across the border bridge to work in Thailand or trade there. Tachilek was a few years ago one of the main hubs in or main vein of drug smuggling in Southeast Asia. Reason for this was a drug market supporting U.S. foreign policy, which was changed in the 1980s, suddenly in the exact opposite. Replacement crops will help to keep the region stable. But food, water, machinery, electronics - almost everything is bought in Thailand in order to resell it for a nominal fee in Tachilek. Many jobs are in the intermediate trade, runners and smugglers. The entry to Myanmar with foreign vehicles of all kinds is very difficult, sometimes even impossible. Tachilek is also supply the center of a large part of the Shan State.

Because of this cross-border trade, which leads to a small but existing, raising the prices of goods, and the lower wage levels this side of the border, you can certainly speak of worse living conditions than the other side of the river - in Mae Sai. The standard wage of a commuter from Tachilek, looking for a job in Mae Sai, is currently (July 2006) with 2,000 Thai Baht ( about 40 euros ) per month still well above the usual content in Tachilek, while below what a Thai for would require the same work. The many traders from Tachilek mainly sell agricultural products, handmade jewelry from China and imported goods in Mae Sai. Prostitution plays a role, especially since the border crossing is used by many tourists for visa extensions.

On 24 March 2011, an earthquake of magnitude 6.8, the area in the triangle of Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and also resulted in Tachilek considerable damage.

Traffic

Traffic

• Tachilek Airport ( IATA: THL, ICAO: VYTL )

Road

Here is the main border crossing from Myanmar to Thailand, where the Asian Highway AH2 cross a bridge over the river to the town of Mae Sai in Thailand. The Highway 4 ( NH4) ends here.