Mae Sot

Mae Sot แม่สอด
City Municipality
City of Mae Sot เทศบาลนครแม่สอด
Aerial view of Mae Sot
Seal
Mae Sot Location in Thailand
Coordinates: 16°42′47″N 98°34′29″E
Country	Thailand
Province	Tak
District	Mae Sot
Government
• Type	City Municipality
• Mayor	Thoedkiat Chinsoranan
Area
• Total	27.2 km^2 (10.5 sq mi)
Population
• Total	52,350 [1]
Time zone	UTC+07:00 (ICT)
Postcode	63110
Area code	(+66) 55
Website	nakhonmaesotcity.go.th

Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot district

Mae Sot (Thai: แม่สอด, pronounced [mɛ̂ː sɔ̀ːt]; Burmese: မဲဆောက်, [mɛ́ sʰaʊʔ]; Shan: မႄႈသွတ်ႇ, [ɛ sʰaaj]) is a city in western Thailand that shares a border with Myanmar to the west. It is notable as a trade hub and for its substantial population of Burmese migrants and refugees. The city is part of Tak Province, 87 km from the city of Tak and 492 km from Bangkok. It is home to the district headquarters of Mae Sot District, and is the main gateway between Thailand and Burma. As a result, it has gained notoriety for its trade in gems and teak, as well as black market services such as human trafficking and illicit drugs.

History

In 1937 Mae Sot was a local administration, administered by a headman, usually called village headman or village chief (ผู้ใหญ่บ้าน phu yai ban).^[2] Its population at the time was approximately 12,000 people. On 30 September 1939 Mae Sot was established as a municipalitity^[3] and governed 27 villages. It was upgraded to a city municipality in 2010.^[4]

In 1997, the Thai–Myanmar Friendship Bridge opened across the Moei River connecting Mae Sot with Myawaddy.^[5] An additional border crossing, the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, was opened In 2019 to the north west of Mae Sot to handle goods traffic.^[6]

In recent decades, the city has become home to thousands of Burmese migrants.^[7] Industries in Mae Sot have grown, especially in the areas related to international trade and manufacturing in textiles, garments, gemstones, jade and teak.^[8] By 2004, the numbers of Burmese migrants in Mae Sot had reached between 70,000 and 100,000.^[9]

Geography

The neighboring districts of Mae Sot include Mae Pa tambon administrative organization (TAO) in the north, Mae Tao (TAO) to the south, Mae Pa and Phra That Pha Daeng (TAO) to the east, and the Tha Sai Luat Sub-district Municipality to the west.

Economy

Rim Moei Market

Trade with Burma constitutes the largest portion of Mae Sot's economy. It has an established market for commodities such as wholesale gems and teak. Most of the town's service industries are supported by Burmese migrants who work in sweat-shops and factories throughout the region. The town also suffers from a black market in illegal smuggling, human trafficking, and narcotics. The Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge is the primary gateway for trade with Burma. The border region, several kilometres west from central Mae Sot, includes the Rim Moei Market that deals in imported goods and woodwork.^{[citation needed]}

Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the junta leader and prime minister, in May 2015 invoked his authority under Section 44 of the Interim Charter to declare the area of Wang Takhian in Tha Sai Luat subdistrict of Mae Sot a special economic zone (SEZ). The current plan is to transform nearly 2,200 rai of land of Tha Sai Luat into an SEZ. The government has offered to compensate displaced villagers at 7,000-12,000 baht per rai of land and resettle villagers in another district of Tak. As of July 2016^[update] the current market price of a rai of land in Mae Sot is almost one million baht, leading villagers to reject the offer.^[10]

Mae Sot is located on the East-West Economic Corridor, which connects Burma, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.^[11]

Climate

Mae Sot has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw). Winters are dry and very warm. Temperatures rise until April, which is very hot with the average daily maximum at 36.8 °C (98.2 °F). The monsoon season runs from May to October, with heavy rain and somewhat cooler temperatures during the day, although nights remain warm.

Climate data for Mae Sot (1991–2020, extremes 1951-present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	35.4 (95.7)	38.7 (101.7)	40.3 (104.5)	41.5 (106.7)	41.6 (106.9)	36.6 (97.9)	35.6 (96.1)	35.4 (95.7)	35.8 (96.4)	38.7 (101.7)	36.5 (97.7)	35.7 (96.3)	41.6 (106.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	32.0 (89.6)	34.3 (93.7)	36.1 (97.0)	37.2 (99.0)	34.8 (94.6)	32.0 (89.6)	30.8 (87.4)	30.5 (86.9)	31.8 (89.2)	32.6 (90.7)	32.3 (90.1)	31.2 (88.2)	33.0 (91.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)	23.0 (73.4)	24.9 (76.8)	27.5 (81.5)	29.4 (84.9)	28.3 (82.9)	26.8 (80.2)	26.0 (78.8)	25.8 (78.4)	26.4 (79.5)	26.5 (79.7)	25.1 (77.2)	23.1 (73.6)	26.1 (78.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	16.0 (60.8)	17.1 (62.8)	20.2 (68.4)	23.3 (73.9)	24.2 (75.6)	23.9 (75.0)	23.4 (74.1)	23.2 (73.8)	23.4 (74.1)	22.5 (72.5)	19.6 (67.3)	16.6 (61.9)	21.1 (70.0)
Record low °C (°F)	4.8 (40.6)	8.5 (47.3)	11.8 (53.2)	17.6 (63.7)	19.5 (67.1)	21.5 (70.7)	20.9 (69.6)	20.6 (69.1)	19.3 (66.7)	15.3 (59.5)	8.4 (47.1)	4.5 (40.1)	4.5 (40.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	7.5 (0.30)	6.8 (0.27)	20.9 (0.82)	36.1 (1.42)	153.5 (6.04)	246.8 (9.72)	372.9 (14.68)	353.6 (13.92)	204.7 (8.06)	91.6 (3.61)	19.4 (0.76)	6.7 (0.26)	1,520.5 (59.86)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	0.6	0.5	1.8	3.3	12.5	20.5	23.3	23.7	16.6	8.2	1.5	0.5	113
Average relative humidity (%)	70.7	63.3	60.9	63.2	74.8	83.3	85.7	86.7	84.4	80.9	75.3	72.9	75.2
Average dew point °C (°F)	16.6 (61.9)	16.4 (61.5)	18.3 (64.9)	20.9 (69.6)	23.0 (73.4)	23.5 (74.3)	23.3 (73.9)	23.3 (73.9)	23.4 (74.1)	22.6 (72.7)	19.9 (67.8)	17.3 (63.1)	20.7 (69.3)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	275.9	259.9	275.9	243.0	158.1	57.0	58.9	58.9	108.0	179.8	219.0	275.9	2,170.3
Mean daily sunshine hours	8.9	9.2	8.9	8.1	5.1	1.9	1.9	1.9	3.6	5.8	7.3	8.9	6.0
Source 1: World Meteorological Organization[12]
Source 2: Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department (sun 1981–2010)[13](extremes)[14]

Transportation

Mae Sot Airport (IATA: MAQ, ICAO: VTPM) serves domestic flights.^[15] In 2024, the airport was used to transport Myanmar military officials and families back to Myanmar.^[16][17]

Mae Sot bus station is located adjacent to the airport.^[18][19]

References

1. ส่วนวิจัยและพัฒนาระบบ รูปแบบและโครงสร้าง. "ส่วนวิจัยและพัฒนาระบบ รูปแบบและโครงสร้าง สำนักพัฒนาระบบ รูปแบบและโครงสร้าง กรมส่งเสริมการปกครองท้องถิ่น." [ออนไลน์]. เข้าถึงได้จาก: [1]^{[permanent dead link‍]} 2557. สืบค้น 6 กุมภาพันธ์ 2558.
2. Yudthaphon Vichianin (Aug 5, 2003). "Village Chief Lee". Thai Language Program. University of Hawaii at Manoa. Archived from the original (interactive) on March 24, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2012.
3. "พระราชกฤษฎีกาจัดตั้งเทศบาลตำบลแม่สอด จังหวัดตาก พุทธศักราช ๒๔๘๒" (PDF). Royal Gazette (in Thai). 56 (ก): 959–962. 1939-09-30. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 10, 2015.
4. "ประกาศกระทรวงมหาดไทย เรื่อง เปลี่ยนแปลงฐานะเทศบาลเมืองแม่สอด อำเภอแม่สอด จังหวัดตาก เป็นเทศบาลนครแม่สอด" (PDF). Royal Gazette (in Thai). 127 (พิเศษ 50 ง): 7. 2010-04-21. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 10, 2011.
5. "Thailand and Myanmar mark 20th anniversary of first Friendship bridge". Thai PBS English News Service. 16 August 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
6. "Thai-Myanmar bridge opens". Bangkok Post. 20 Mar 2019. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
7. "Life on the Burma-Thai border". BBC News. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
8. "Illicit trade on the Thai-Burma border". BBC News. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
9. Arnold, D (2004). The situation of Burmese Migrant Workers. The Southeast Asia Research Centre (SEARC).
10. "Local farmers suffer as Thai junta pleases big companies". Prachatai English. 2016-07-11. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
11. "Second Thailand-Myanmar Friendship Bridge to Stimulate Cross-border Trade | Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)". greatermekong.org. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
12. "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
13. "ปริมาณการใช้น้ำของพืชอ้างอิงโดยวิธีของ Penman Monteith (Reference Crop Evapotranspiration by Penman Monteith)" (PDF) (in Thai). Office of Water Management and Hydrology, Royal Irrigation Department. p. 28. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
14. "Climatological Data for the Period 1981–2010". Thai Meteorological Department. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
15. Flightradar24. "Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map". Flightradar24. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
16. "Myanmar rescue flights okayed". Bangkok Post. 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
17. "Thailand Confirms Myanmar Military Evacuation Flight Request After Latest Resistance Gains". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
18. "สถานีขนส่งผู้โดยสารอำเภอแม่สอด จ.ตาก (จังหวัด ตาก)". เทศบาลตำบลท่าสายลวด. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
19. Ashayagachat, Achara (2013-04-10). "New bus service to Mae Sot‏ from Samut Sakhon". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2025-01-12.

External links

• Mae Sot travel guide from Wikivoyage