Mae Sot-Myawaddy

   Mae Sot, located in Thailand's Tak Province, and Myawaddy, in Burma's Karen (Kayin) State, are separated by the Moei River. The former is often known as "little Burma" because as many as 100,000 Burmese refugees live and work in and around the town, in factories, construction sites, and brothels. Economic distress has brought them not only from nearby Karen and Mon States, but also from central Burma. Abuse of Burmese illegal workers in Mae Sot, including those in the sex industry, is regularly reported by international human rights organizations. A Karen (Kayin) physician, Doctor Cynthia (Maung), has established a major hospital and clinic at Mae Sot, which serves border area people.

   Mae Sot and Myawaddy lie along one of the projected routes of the 141,204-kilometer-long "Asian Highway" network; the highway is planned to run from the two towns through Pagan (Bagan) in Mandalay Division to Tamu on the Indian border. In 1997, a "Thailand-Burma Friendship Bridge" was completed, opening up cross-border road traffic and greatly stimulating trade.