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Myawaddy (; ; ; , Eastern Pwo Karen Plone: မေဝ်ပ္တီ ) is a town in southeastern Myanmar, in Kayin State, close to the border with Thailand. Separated from the Thai border town of Mae Sot by the Moei River (Thaungyin River), the town is the most important trading point between Myanmar and Thailand. Myawaddy is east of Mawlamyine, the fourth largest city of Myanmar, and northwest of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.
On 5 April 2024, during the Myanmar civil war, a combined force of PDF and KNLA fighters captured major military bases on the outskirts of the city. Nearly 500 junta troops surrendered, leaving junta forces in Myawaddy isolated and under pressure. Myanmar military loses border town in another big defeat. April 6, 2024. BBC. Jonathan Head. On 10 April 2024, remaining junta forces withdrew from Myawaddy and retreated to the Thai border. The KNLA subsequently took control of the entire township. Later reports indicate the KNLA never took the entire town.
On 24 April, the town was recaptured by Junta forces, after the KNLA was forced to withdraw, after a heavy firefight.
The border-crossing is a major route for the export of Myanmar's gems,Chien, Choo Tse (2004) "Border Areas & Into Burma Photo Gallery" at pbase.com, archived here on 9 February 2005 by Internet Archive many of which have their claimed provenance changed once across the border.Naylor, Thomas (2009) "The underworld of gemstones Part II: in the eye of the beholder" Crime, Law and Social Change 53(3): 211–227, The India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway connection to Myawaddy opened in August 2015.
The area around Myawaddy has attracted significant investments in the form of Chinese gambling development projects, with ties to triads and crime syndicates, including Yatai New City, established by She Zhijiang, a convicted Chinese businessman; Saixigang Industrial Zone, linked to Wan Kuok-koi, a former triad leader; and Huanya International New City. The nearby village of Shwe Kokko has become a major regional crime, human trafficking, and cyber scamming hub.
KK Park, located in the nearby village of Mawhtotalay, has also emerged as a centre for cyber scams, human trafficking, online gambling, prostitution, and drugs. Cyber-crime committed within the vicinity of Myawaddy includes pig butchering scams, which are run by Chinese crime gangs, which entrap people, predominantly ethnic Chinese and also other foreigners, under false pretenses and then force them under threat of torture to convince victims to send large amounts of money to them.
Myawaddy township is also home to the famous Mulae, Mulaet, and Mulaeh pagodas, where people across Myanmar and even Thailand come on pilgrimage. The pagoda are 2,000 meters above sea level and have a stunning view, but due to Covid-19 and the ongoing Burmese civil war, the visit to the pagoda has dropped significantly.
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