At 8 a.m. on June 26, a line of at least 13 double-trailer trucks was seen at the Pheung Khleung border crossing in northern Thailand. This is one of the few locations where minerals can be legally moved from Myanmar to Thailand. The atmosphere was tense as the border gate was still closed, and frustrated mineral traders shouted at reporters, asking them not to take pictures. The day before, the Thai military, which manages the mineral trade across the border, had allowed Mongabay to report on the large amounts of antimony expected to come from Myanmar’s Karen state to Thailand’s Tak province, located about 200 kilometers (124 miles) south of Mae Sot. Reporters were not allowed to photograph the soldiers involved in the trade or the minerals themselves. The border gates finally opened at 10 a.m., and the first truck carrying antimony, a shiny mineral used in various industries like defense and technology, entered Thailand.
A crane moved into position as trucks from Myanmar arrived, and workers hurriedly attached cables to 1-ton bags of what they were told was antimony ore, along with stacked bars of antimony ingot. Meanwhile, drivers sought shade from the hot sun as the unloading process began. This article was originally published on Mongabay. What do you think about the situation at the border?
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Source: Mongabay Animals, by Andy Lehren