Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- Border trade with Burma, officially known as Myanmar, resumed on Saturday as the authorities granted the traders permits for staying either side of the border between the two countries for a period of one week.
 
Trading remained suspended for months following communal riots in Burmese Rakhine province as many minority Rohingyas were forced to flee their homes and enter Bangladesh in June last.
 
As the situation cooled down the Burmese authorities have initially issued one-day permit for border trade, resulting in unprecedented fall in border trade transactions. But the situation started improving remarkably from last week following which the border trade committee decided to restore normal trading allowing traders of both countries to reside a week at Mongdu of Myanmar and Teknaf of Bangladesh, according to reports.
 
Border trade between the two countries was opened in the year 1994 as traders from both countries demanded so to check smuggling of goods across the southeastern border between the two countries.
 
BBN/SSR/AD-25Nov12-9:20 am (BST)