China has put up posters warning its citizens to stop crossing the border, making investments and going in for business ventures in military-ruled Burma

Written by KNG
Saturday, 24 October 2009 16:52
China has put up posters warning its citizens to stop crossing the border, making investments and going in for business ventures in military-ruled Burma, contiguous to the country’s southwest Yunnan province, said border sources.

An eyewitness on the Sino-Burma border told KNG today, that A-4 size posters were officially released on October 20 by the Chinese government. The posters have been pasted in border markets, road intersections and road corners in Chinese territory as of October 22.

The posters were put up for Chinese citizens along the Burma border because the Chinese government is of the view that internal strife in Burma will worsen soon. The posters said as much.The posters warned Chinese citizens on four counts. It cautioned that cross-border travel to Burma should be halted; cross-border timber business should be stopped; bringing to a halt cross-border charcoal business and finally not to make any business investments in Burma, a person who read the poster said. The posters have been put up in the Chinese border villages and cities between Salween River (Saphkung Hka in Kachin) and Wanding town near Ruili border trade town— Wanding opposite Pangsai in Burma, Manghai opposite Mongkoe and Xiaozhai opposite Hpawng Seng in Burma, according to eyewitnesses.

Chinese traders control cross-border charcoal business and import tens of thousands of tons of charcoal from Mongkoe, Hpawng Seng and Pangsai every year, border sources said.

The Chinese also control all cross-border timber trade. The timber business season in Northeast Shan State and Kachin State are to resume this month, said border traders.

Currently, China’s investment is the largest in Burma. The investments are mainly in the energy and mining sectors.

China officially earmarked sites of refugee camps for Burmese at three different places on the border inside Chinese territory on September 24— Manghai town for accepting 5,000 refugees, Xiaozhai for 3,000 and Pengjiazhai for 6,000 refugees.

China has told its citizens in Burma to return home after the Burmese Army captured Laogai, the capital of the Kokang ceasefire group known as the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) east of Salween River in northeast Shan State on August 25.
Kachin News