CHIANG RAI– Officials have finished clearing the buildings along the Sai River, and the Sai Lom Joy market has been temporarily closed, allowing army engineers to start building a flood barrier before heavy rain arrives.
On Thursday, the Sai Lom Joy market on the Thai-Myanmar border, west of the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sai, closed its doors for now. Local authorities told vendors about the closing and the upcoming construction.
Army engineers plan to build both temporary and semi-permanent flood barriers next to the market. This work was possible after district officials reached an agreement with building owners along the river to remove their structures.
The army needs this space to level the ground and put in seven-metre-long pilings, set three metres deep. The new barrier will stretch from the Hua Fai community to the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, running about three kilometres.
Once finished, the barrier will help protect local communities from flooding and let the Sai Lom Joy market reopen.
During construction, Chiang Rai province has set up a new spot for vendors near Piyaporn Hill Hotel, behind Mae Sai police station and close to the local waterworks office. Over 80 market spaces are available at this new site.
The provincial public relations team is letting people and tourists know they can shop at the new market location, which opens May 30. The message highlights the lively atmosphere that people remember from Sai Lom Joy. The original market should reopen after the barrier work wraps up.
This three-kilometre barrier is going up after severe flooding hit in September and October 2024. Thai and Myanmar officials agreed to start the project on April 18, with a planned finish date of June 20, 2025.
The agreement also includes dredging the Ruak River on the Thai side, from Koh Chang in Mae Sai to the Golden Triangle in Chiang Saen. This is part of a joint Thai-Myanmar plan. Army units, including engineers and regional forces, are working in stages, digging 100 metres at a time.
The goal is to reduce water and soil pressure, strengthen the banks, and use wooden pilings to stop the riverbank from collapsing. Myanmar will dredge from the source of the Sai River down to the Ruak River.
