Chinese Border Town Could be Filled with Burmese Refugees

NABANG, China — Despite being very different and divided by a small river, the towns on both sides of the river here—which separate Burma and China—are both dependent on trade with Burma.

On the Chinese side, the major buildings are hotels and commercial enterprises, heavily dependent on trade with Burma.

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On the Burmese side, the dominant buildings are the headquarters for the Kachin Independence Army (KIO).

At KIO headquarters now everyone is worried about the rising tension between its army and the Burmese regime, which is pressuring it to transform its army into a border guard force under the command of the junta.

Life on the Chinese side of the river is going on as usual, though that will change quickly if hostilities break out.

“We had no luck in our city and the economy was deteriorating,” said a Chinese owner of a restaurant. “We thought that with the all trade passing through into Burma, we could make some money and return home.”

With his wife and mother, he left the fast pace of city life to live in this quiet border town. So far, the restaurant is doing well, frequented mostly by Chinese businessmen and traders.

The man admitted to knowing little about the situation on the Burmese side of the river, but he said he'd heard rumors that war could break out soon.

“I’m worried that the fighting could spill over,” he said. “We were told that lots of the refugees could come over to this side during the fighting, but that could mean more business for us.”

Last year, when the Burmese army attacked a Kokang militia group, Burmese sough refuge in Laiza, China, renting rooms or staying with relatives or friends to escape the fighting.

A Kachin student from Myitkyina University, who came here to learn Chinese, recalled the chaos.

“People were just flooding over the checkpoint with all their bags and children. It really was a frightening time,” he said.

Crossing the border is easy. At the center of Laiza, China, a bridge crosses the river and there are checkpoints on both sides. Two immigration officials and a Chinese soldier staff the Chinese side. A Burmese passport which cost 6,000 kyatt (US $6) allows Burmese citizens to cross freely.

A day spent in the town provided a glimpse of military fanfare, as Chinese security officials performed a changing of the guard ceremony with the sounding of a a trumpet and the playing of the national anthem.

The town also has its dark side. Many Kachin girls arrive with dreams of a decent job but soon end up as forced wives for Chinese men. And, like all border towns with Burma, there's said to be a steady flow of drugs crossing the border, and one sees drug abusers with glazed eyes wandering the streets in ragged clothes.

On the Chinese side, there are almost no signs of Burmese culture. Buildings display Chinese flags and red Mandarin symbols are painted on doorways. All the restaurants serve Yunnan-style food.

The only reminders of Burma this reporter saw were shop assistants who had come here to work and save money. Money and business seemed to be on everyone's mind.

Dressed in smart suits, two Chinese men from Kunming, only an overnight bus ride away, sat outside a teashop. They were here to check up on their hotel and to meet with people in Burma on business. They weren't concerned about potential trouble brewing on the Burmese side.

“We don’t know that much about the situation, but we think they will solve it peacefully—neither side wants to fight,” said one of the men.

“Before they made peace with the Myanmar [Burmese] army, it was very difficult to do business here,” said the other man. “If they do start fighting again, it could ruin us.”

Before the cease-fire was signed, fighting made it an unattractive place for investment, and the KIO made very little from its outside investments. In 1994, when the KIO moved its headquarters from Pajau under the cease-fire agreement, investment and trade flooded into the area.