Tachileik (also spelt Tachilek; , ; , ; , , ) is a

border town A border town is a town or city close to the boundary between two countries, states, or regions. Usually the term implies that the nearness to the border is one of the things the place is most famous for. With close proximities to a different coun ...

Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...

of eastern Myanmar. It is the administrative seat of Tachileik Township and Tachileik District and most populated city in eastern Shan State with 51,553 residents per 2014 census count, ahead of Kyaing Tong, but only 4th statewide. It faces Mae Sai in Thailand, and is home to one of Myanmar's seven official border trade posts with Thailand.

History

Tachileik was a border crossing probably used in the opium trade from the Golden Triangle and was the town that the drug lord Khun Sa used to live in.Chien, Choo Tse (2004
"Border Areas & Into Burma Photo Gallery"
/ref> On 24 March 2011 a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the region very close to Tachileik. It caused some damage as far away as

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...

. On 24 March 2012 a bomb wounded 2 people at the Regina Hotel golf course in Tachileik, followed by a second bomb that exploded an hour later.

Economy

The border trade post with Thailand opened on 16 March 1996. In 2022, total trade volume at the border post stood at . In 2009, it was reported that Tachileik

vendor In a supply chain, a vendor, supplier, provider or a seller, is an enterprise that contributes goods or services. Generally, a supply chain vendor manufactures inventory/stock items and sells them to the next link in the chain. Today, these term ...

s openly sold endangered animal parts. Located immediately following the bridge that divides Myanmar and Thailand is a marketplace that sells a large variety of products, including DVDs, perfume, clothing, luggage and wine. Tachileik once had the reputation as a distribution nexus for

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

and

ya ba ''Ya ba'' (, , literally 'crazy pill') is a drug containing a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine. It was formerly known as ''yama'' (; literally 'horse drug'). Although it is illegal, it has considerable use in Southeast Asia. It is also k ...

(

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...

pills) moving from rural Myanmar to the world market.

Tourism

The main

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

is a large gold-coloured stupa, which, among other things, showcases the seven days of the week. The idea is for a

pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

to go to the spot which has the day he/she was born known as the planetary post, and do a simple spiritual worship. West of town there are hiking trails, though currently they are designated for locals, not for tourists. There is an Akha hill tribe, over an hour's walk north-west of Tachilek called Ho Yu. There are no maps and no guides for such excursions, and Burmese authorities frown on foreign visitors leaving the beaten track. Pasa Wildlife Reserve is located in the eastern side of the district. Tachileik Shwedagon Pagoda

Transport

Tachileik has an

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

which links to four Burmese cities –

Yangon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

Mandalay Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631 km (392 mi) north of Yangon. In 2014, the city had a population of 1,225,553. Mandalay was founded in 1857 by Ki ...

, Taungyi Heho and Kengtung. By road Tachileik is connected to Kengtung, which lies 106 km (66 miles) to the north, by the Asian Highway route AH2, and via Kengtung west to Taunggyi, capital of Shan State, and east by route AH3 to Mongla and on to

Yunnan Province Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

, China.

Climate

Border crossing

Tachileik can be accessed from the Thai town of Mae Sai, which sits directly south on the other side of the small Mae Sai River. There are two bridges that provide access between Mae Sai and Tachilek. It is a porous border and is not difficult to wade across the river. Burmese merchants used to be able to cross over and do business in Mae Sai for days at a time. The border is also a popular destination for Westerners who either reside in or are visiting

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and who need to get their

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...

visas renewed. Thailand-Myanmar bridge

There is no charge for a 'visa run' going from Thailand to

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

on the Thai side, but there is a charge of US$10 or 500 Thai Baht on the Burmese side.

Health care

* Tachileik General Hospital

Notes

External links

* *
Satellite map
Maplandia
Picture
{{Authority control Populated places in Shan State Myanmar–Thailand border crossings Township capitals of Myanmar