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I'm 99% sure that the border between Laos and Burma (Myanmar) is still closed for foreign travellers, especially for entering Burma from Laos.

I'm pretty sure that I have read now and again about news reports that the countries were trying to come to an agreement to open the border, but right now I can't find specific info of that type.

Can anybody find some statement online about when this border is hoped to open?

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  • 3
    Separate grammatical question - is Lao correct as an alternative for the country name, or is it for specifically something from Laos (in this case, the border)?
    – Mark Mayo
    Sep 8, 2015 at 5:43
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    Officially it is the Lao People's Democratic Republic and to the local people it is Lao. But the French made it plural - Laos, since it was originally three regions brought together under their rule and the international community still refers to it by the French name. The Thai language (which is essentially what the Lao language is) does not have a plural form for nouns, hence why local usage is just Lao..
    – user13044
    Sep 8, 2015 at 6:01
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    @Tom Are you sure about that etymological interpretation? The country name “Laos” is singular in modern French and the s is not silent. Looking at 19th century or even 18th century documents on Google Books, I can't find any occurrence of “les Laos” that designates the country, only the people, and the country is “le Laos”. So if the country name was originally plural, that was more than a century before colonization. Sep 8, 2015 at 12:18
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    @Tom Yes but the point is that at the time, it was already singular in French and we pronounce the “s” which wouldn't be the case if it was understood as a French plural. So when was it a plural then?
    – Relaxed
    Sep 8, 2015 at 14:11
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    @Tom Well, personally, I have no idea, I am just restating Gilles' point because it seems you wanted to answer his comment and yet failed to address it.
    – Relaxed
    Sep 8, 2015 at 14:41

2 Answers 2

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The Lao Myanmar Friendship Bridge opened back in May, connecting Luang Namtha Province in Laos to Talicheck District in Myanmar. One of its initial purposes was to increase tourism, but I have seen nothing that confirms foreigners are able to cross yet. Perhaps when ASEAN kicks in in 2016 it will become an open entry point for foreigners, but right now it seems only to be about freight.

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Laos-Myanmar bridge awaits juristic acts

Laos-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Luang Namtha province in the northern parts of the country has yet to become an official international border as the juristic acts between the two countries have not been completed. Pending the completion of the requisite juristic acts to be passed, it has now opened as a traditional border initially for people between the two countries to exchange goods for sale and visit each other along this border area. (Source: Vientiane Times 29 September 2015)

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  • I added a link to the article (which I open remains valid, it looks like it might expire or be overwritten).
    – SpaceDog
    Nov 23, 2015 at 4:22

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