Myanmar government officials have asked Laos to increase the supply of electricity to the Tachileik border township, opposite Thailand’s Mae Sai district, to meet increasing demand during the dry season, according to the Tachileik News Agency.
Tachileik, and the Myawaddy township opposite Mae Sot district, have been experiencing power shortages since Thailand cut electricity and oil supplies on February 5th, to put pressure on Karen rebel forces to crack down on Chinese-run scam centres there.
Burmese officials have asked Laos to increase the supply to Tachileik, from 13 to more than 20 megawatts per month, claiming that the town needs additional electricity, especially for entertainment establishments and hotels.
Due to the insufficient supply, Myanmar’s officials have been rationing electricity, under which each area only gets power during specific hours, but not around the clock.
Before cutting the power, Tachileik used 50 megawatts of electricity per month from Thailand and 30 megawatts from Laos.
