Ban Rak Thai was settled to be a check point for controlling the jade trade. Then Mae Aw village  is important for the last army camp close to Thailand in The Shan State for controlling the jade trade along Salween River or Salawin in Thai language. They took jades from northern Myanmar past Kayah state and took up river the name "Pai River" to the village named Ban Huayduer  in Thailand.

Why they is there, if you see map this village close to the thai border and Kayah state border. From village is the valley with stream and river to join Salween river just walk half day (about 8-10 hours) and when Mae Aw have road to connect city, they don't need to pass Kayah State.

It's real after the road had ready connection to Mae Hong Son they transported jade from this village instead.

When they moved Mae Aw village from its Myanmar site to Thailand, it was called New Mae Aw village. In 1983-4 the fighting ended and the Thai government renamed it Ban Rak Thai.

It is little village that surrounds a small lake. It is easy to walk or drive around. You can also rent a bicycle when you are there.

Also, there is a small dirt road that goes to a tiny Shan State village across the border, and the guards are friendly, and will let you enter. It is worth the trek, but you can't enter with a motorized vehicle. Inside you will find a school, a small Shan history and culture museum, and a community living on the edges as a result of the ongoing conflict with the Burma Army, in the fight for freedom, and self-determination.

You can take a yellow truck to Ban Rak Thai. I pick up at 8am and 11:15am in front of the Mae Hong Son Food Market, near Wat Huan Wiang, on Phanich Wattana. The price is 120 baht each way. It is best to get there 15 minutes early. If you don't see a truck, wait around or ask a local vendor. The truck travels every day to BRT. From Mae Hong Son, you can also rent a motorbike and drive up on your own. Or if you prefer a guided tour, you can hire one as well in MHS city. The ride is beautiful, meandering through a picturesque valley, up and down steep hills on a very windy road. The road is paved all the way. From Mae Hong Son, head north on Rt 1095. About 10 km up, you will see signs for Ban Rak Thai. Take a left, and follow this windy road for another 35 km or so, until it ends in the village.