Tak
Myanmar border economy collapsed August 2025—Mae Sot crossing (40% of Thai-Myanmar trade) closed without warning, exports crashed 80%, SEZ investments stranded.
Tak's economy collapsed on August 18, 2025, when Myanmar abruptly closed the Mae Sot–Myawaddy Friendship Bridge II without warning. The crossing handles 40% of Thailand-Myanmar trade—45.37 billion baht through Mae Sot customs alone. Within weeks, Thai exports dropped from 50 billion baht quarterly to just over 10 billion. Naypyidaw ordered the closure to redirect border trade profits from ethnic armed groups to the central government; Tak became collateral damage.
The province spans 533 kilometers of Myanmar border across three Tak Special Economic Zone districts: Mae Sot, Mae Ramat, and Pobpra. Since 2015, BOI-promoted projects brought 26.47 billion baht in investment—garments, plastics, automotive parts, medical equipment—all predicated on cross-border labor and logistics. Myanmar workers commuted daily; Thai trucks carried goods east. The Mae Sot Second Customs House was building toward 2026 completion. Now the infrastructure serves stalled commerce.
In 2024, Thailand-Myanmar trade reached 253.51 billion baht; 208.93 billion crossed by land. January–June 2025 bilateral trade dropped 24.91% year-on-year even before the August closure. Logistics rerouting through alternatives costs 20–30% more. By late 2026, Tak will reveal whether border trade can resume—or whether a decade of SEZ investment becomes stranded infrastructure.