Of all the trips Thailand has to offer, the run down the Thai-Burma border from Mae Sot to Umphang is amongst the best. Its Thailand's ultimate high altitude cruise - a thrilling roller-coaster ride down to Thailand's ultimate isolated spot, a road of some 1219 twists & turns taking you through untouched jungle & magnificent mountain scenery as it follows the Tanon Tongchai mountain range that separates Burma from Thailand.
First implanted in 1987 'Death Highway' bears witness to the murders of many of its construction workers - 40 in one single massacre - at the hands of a Communist Party of Thailand not wanting to see the road built. More recently the unending number of fatal accidents has confirmed the road's nomenclature - in 1995, 30 teachers died in one bus crash alone. It should come as no surprise that the road has a history of hold-ups & robbery.
There is ongoing conflict right along this border as Burma's military junta seeks to compel the country's nationalistically minded armed ethnic groups to join a single border guard force. The Karen people & rebel Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) forces bear the brunt of Burma's relentless push; a push which today sees the myriad of ethnic armies along the border recruiting soldiers, & buying arms & ammunition in anticipation of increased Burmese aggression.
R1090:
Its some 165kms to Umphang along R1090, the first 20kms of which follow the plains of Mae Sot. Just before this marker there's a turn-off to the border village of Mae Khon Ken, quiet enough nowadays but in 2001 fighting between the Burmese & the DKBA saw mortar shells land in the village. Along the smaller lanes that skirt the border down to Walae you can still see the remaining temporary shelters of some of the almost 20,000 Burmese who only last November fled the fighting, many taking shelter around Wat Huay Mahawong.
I took the route right at the 20kms marker which overlooks the fertile plains of Mae Sot; I'll take the alternative route on the return home as I enjoy the views on descending:
On to Saw Oh, a fairly substantial town from where the road continues straight to Umphang, or right (which involves taking a U-turn) along R1206 past a number of waterfalls down through Phop Phra & on to Walae.
Phop Phra maintains a certain presence. In days gone by, as can be seen in the housing, it was a major centre for illegal logging, both from Burma and also Thailand where hundreds of thousands of trees were reportedly felled.
Past Phop Phra a small road left leads down to the Karen riverside village of Mae Ook Hu. The villages out this way are very authentic, constructed mostly from local vegetal materials. Visitors are rare out these ways due not just to the isolation but also to the risks associated with ongoing fighting across the border.
The Nam Moei photographed here at Mae Ook Hu separates Burma from Thailand. The villagers here were collecting shells to cook. At the same time vehicles crossed freely behind them in & out of the two countries with no apparent controls. The footbridge crossing can be seen in the background:
A closer look at the foot crossing, also in regular use:
The village alongside the river:
It is wise to stick to the main route & should you venture from it be alert in the knowledge that the actual border remains disputed to this day. Do not cross over into Burma despite any apparent lack of control; you may well end up in the hands of either the Burmese or the DKBA both of whom would be pleased to extract a large ransom for your release.
The constant passing of people between Burma & Thailand is explained by the migratory nature of the Karen & of how trade was conducted between the two countries in times gone by. As Burma's military junta increased its hostilities towards ethnic groups living along the border these areas became flourishing black markets, often financing the rebel armies. The obvious ease with which drugs can today pass into Thailand will not be lost on readers.
It is possible to follow the river down from Mae Ook Hu to Walae. Walae marks the start of a traditional route, for centuries a smuggling route, used by Thais & Karen alike to move between Mae Sot & Umphang. Prior to the construction of R1090 it was the only way to move between Mae sot & Umphang. The route treks some 30kms through Burma via the Burmese village of Pa Toei before returning to Thailand at Nong Luang near Umphang.
Walae maintains a Thai military presence, at least at the principle crossing point, for just down river a further unmanned crossing is possible. That the un-controlled crossing is in regular use can be seen from the mud on the Burmese side & is no more clearly witnessed than by the fact that the main road into Walae proceeds straight to it whereas the route to the controlled crossing involves a detour!
The controlled crossing:
A closer look at the portal on the Burmese side of the river. The flags, though in tatters are not Burmese & I suspect are DKBA flags:
The uncontrolled crossing just down-river:
There's a door surrounded by barbed wire with a pad-lock affixed mid-way - one wonders if its ever locked &, if so, when & by whom.
The Burmese side readily showing the significant useage to which this crossing is put:
On the Burmese side are the remains of a village, Phalu I believe, raised to the ground in the 1990's by Burmese forces in fighting against the DKBA. Phalu's black market helped fund the Karen National Liberation Army & in the mid 1980's as the Burmese Army advanced aginst the Karen, the Burmese executed 40 'smugglers' in an endeavour to impress upon Phalu natives that such funding was to stop.
When Phalu fell into Burmese hands, the Burmese also claimed Walae, further illustrating the ongoing dispute between Thailand & Burma over the actual border. Such disputes give rise to on-going tensions of which readers should be aware when venturing into the area. In such a simmering situation 'farang' could well be mistaken for spies or insurgent helping agents. It remains an area faced with constant military overthrows not the least due to the fact of its importance as a major smuggling point - although it was once logs, cigarettes & so on, its now drugs. The constant 'battles', needless to say, keep Thai & tourist levels down.
(To be continued...................)
First implanted in 1987 'Death Highway' bears witness to the murders of many of its construction workers - 40 in one single massacre - at the hands of a Communist Party of Thailand not wanting to see the road built. More recently the unending number of fatal accidents has confirmed the road's nomenclature - in 1995, 30 teachers died in one bus crash alone. It should come as no surprise that the road has a history of hold-ups & robbery.
There is ongoing conflict right along this border as Burma's military junta seeks to compel the country's nationalistically minded armed ethnic groups to join a single border guard force. The Karen people & rebel Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) forces bear the brunt of Burma's relentless push; a push which today sees the myriad of ethnic armies along the border recruiting soldiers, & buying arms & ammunition in anticipation of increased Burmese aggression.
R1090:
Its some 165kms to Umphang along R1090, the first 20kms of which follow the plains of Mae Sot. Just before this marker there's a turn-off to the border village of Mae Khon Ken, quiet enough nowadays but in 2001 fighting between the Burmese & the DKBA saw mortar shells land in the village. Along the smaller lanes that skirt the border down to Walae you can still see the remaining temporary shelters of some of the almost 20,000 Burmese who only last November fled the fighting, many taking shelter around Wat Huay Mahawong.
I took the route right at the 20kms marker which overlooks the fertile plains of Mae Sot; I'll take the alternative route on the return home as I enjoy the views on descending:
On to Saw Oh, a fairly substantial town from where the road continues straight to Umphang, or right (which involves taking a U-turn) along R1206 past a number of waterfalls down through Phop Phra & on to Walae.
Phop Phra maintains a certain presence. In days gone by, as can be seen in the housing, it was a major centre for illegal logging, both from Burma and also Thailand where hundreds of thousands of trees were reportedly felled.
Past Phop Phra a small road left leads down to the Karen riverside village of Mae Ook Hu. The villages out this way are very authentic, constructed mostly from local vegetal materials. Visitors are rare out these ways due not just to the isolation but also to the risks associated with ongoing fighting across the border.
The Nam Moei photographed here at Mae Ook Hu separates Burma from Thailand. The villagers here were collecting shells to cook. At the same time vehicles crossed freely behind them in & out of the two countries with no apparent controls. The footbridge crossing can be seen in the background:
A closer look at the foot crossing, also in regular use:
The village alongside the river:
It is wise to stick to the main route & should you venture from it be alert in the knowledge that the actual border remains disputed to this day. Do not cross over into Burma despite any apparent lack of control; you may well end up in the hands of either the Burmese or the DKBA both of whom would be pleased to extract a large ransom for your release.
The constant passing of people between Burma & Thailand is explained by the migratory nature of the Karen & of how trade was conducted between the two countries in times gone by. As Burma's military junta increased its hostilities towards ethnic groups living along the border these areas became flourishing black markets, often financing the rebel armies. The obvious ease with which drugs can today pass into Thailand will not be lost on readers.
It is possible to follow the river down from Mae Ook Hu to Walae. Walae marks the start of a traditional route, for centuries a smuggling route, used by Thais & Karen alike to move between Mae Sot & Umphang. Prior to the construction of R1090 it was the only way to move between Mae sot & Umphang. The route treks some 30kms through Burma via the Burmese village of Pa Toei before returning to Thailand at Nong Luang near Umphang.
Walae maintains a Thai military presence, at least at the principle crossing point, for just down river a further unmanned crossing is possible. That the un-controlled crossing is in regular use can be seen from the mud on the Burmese side & is no more clearly witnessed than by the fact that the main road into Walae proceeds straight to it whereas the route to the controlled crossing involves a detour!
The controlled crossing:
A closer look at the portal on the Burmese side of the river. The flags, though in tatters are not Burmese & I suspect are DKBA flags:
The uncontrolled crossing just down-river:
There's a door surrounded by barbed wire with a pad-lock affixed mid-way - one wonders if its ever locked &, if so, when & by whom.
The Burmese side readily showing the significant useage to which this crossing is put:
On the Burmese side are the remains of a village, Phalu I believe, raised to the ground in the 1990's by Burmese forces in fighting against the DKBA. Phalu's black market helped fund the Karen National Liberation Army & in the mid 1980's as the Burmese Army advanced aginst the Karen, the Burmese executed 40 'smugglers' in an endeavour to impress upon Phalu natives that such funding was to stop.
When Phalu fell into Burmese hands, the Burmese also claimed Walae, further illustrating the ongoing dispute between Thailand & Burma over the actual border. Such disputes give rise to on-going tensions of which readers should be aware when venturing into the area. In such a simmering situation 'farang' could well be mistaken for spies or insurgent helping agents. It remains an area faced with constant military overthrows not the least due to the fact of its importance as a major smuggling point - although it was once logs, cigarettes & so on, its now drugs. The constant 'battles', needless to say, keep Thai & tourist levels down.
(To be continued...................)