"The border was opened this morning. Goods that have been piling up on the bank of the Tio River for over three weeks have started to move into Mizoram," a trader from Burma said yesterday.

Pu F. Lalhuliana, Superintendent of Police, Champhai district in Mizoram, ordered the closure of the Indo-Burma border trade road (2) on August 20, 2007 following a tip off that arms and drugs could enter concealed inside cargo from Burma to India.

Following the closure of the trade road, goods bound for Mizoram began to pile up near the Tio River, the boundary of India and Burma.

"The road closure had a major impact on business activities in Champhai, leading merchants from Champhai to pressurize local authorities to reopen the road," said a merchant in Aizawl, capital of Mizoram.

As Champhai is the main gateway from Burma to Mizoram, if goods are not imported from Burma, it also affects bus owners and merchants, added a merchant in Aizawl.

There was a noticeable growth in business in Champhai markets after the Indo-Burma border trade road (2) was rebuilt by engineers of India’s Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and the Burmese authorities in 2003. – Khonumthung.