Mr. Phumtham Vejjayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense presided over the handover ceremony in Chiang Rai and announced that the first phase of the Mae Sai border restoration had been completed.

After the armed forces, the Volunteer Defense Corps (VDC), and rescue units completed their work, Mr. Phumtham handed over the restoration work to Chiang Rai Province and local administrative organizations to look after and restore the area.

Mr. Phumtham told reporters that the first phase of the Mae Sai border restoration has been completed, and some areas were 100% complete. The Chiang Rai Province Operations Command (CPOC) will summarize the results further and propose long-term solutions to the Cabinet for further action.

He said the main flooding problem in Mae Sai is the shallowness of the Sai River, which needs to be dredged because it was originally more than 5 meters deep but is now only about 1 meter deep. Buildings on both sides encroach on the banks of the Sai River.

The Sai River needs to be dredged deeper and wider; otherwise, the flooding problem will occur again. We must discuss this with all parties, including Myanmar, dig up the mud and build a wall for about 2 kilometers.

When asked about the construction of the river wall, he said the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning was responsible, and a project design had been completed. Therefore, what needs to be done now is to present it to the Cabinet for budget approval so that all agencies can proceed.

As for Myanmar’s cooperation, he said Myanmar understands the problems, but due to internal strife within the country, finding a budget to fix them would be difficult, so we cannot rely on them currently.