'Safety risks have escalated': China asks citizens to leave Myanmar border district, citing security

The Chinese embassy in Myanmar on Thursday issued a directive urging its citizens to evacuate a northern district along the shared border due to heightened security risks.

This advisory comes in the midst of ongoing clashes in Myanmar’s northern Shan state since October, where the Arakan Army (AA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) launched an offensive against the military.

The ethnic minority armed groups, including the AA, MNDAA, and TNLA, have captured several towns and crucial border hubs essential for trade with China. Analysts view this as the most significant military challenge to the junta since it took control in 2021.

Specifically, the MNDAA has declared its intention to reclaim Laukkai town, situated in a district bordering China. This area is controlled by a military-aligned militia and is known for activities such as gambling, prostitution, and online scams.

Addressing the situation, AFP quoted Chinese embassy saying on its WeChat account, “The conflicts in Laukkai district of Kokang, northern Myanmar continue, and safety risks have escalated for people stranded there.”

“The Chinese Embassy in Myanmar once again reminds Chinese citizens in Laukkai district to evacuate as soon as possible.”

Media affiliated with the MNDAA said this week that Myanmar’s junta had carried out airstrikes in the self-administered Kokang region that surrounds Laukkai and shelled parts of the town.

AFP has contacted an MNDAA spokesperson for comment.

Earlier this month, Beijing said it had mediated talks between the military and the three ethnic armed groups and reached an agreement for a “temporary ceasefire”.

But clashes have continued in parts of Shan state, with the TNLA claiming to have captured two more towns in recent days.

Analysts say Beijing maintains ties with ethnic armed groups in northern Myanmar, some of whom share close ethnic and cultural ties with China and use Chinese currency and phone networks in the territory they control.

Beijing is also a major arms supplier and ally of the junta, but ties have been strained in recent months over the junta’s failure to crack down on online scam compounds in Myanmar that Beijing says target Chinese citizens.

Protesters gathered for a rare demonstration in Yangon last month to accuse China of backing the ethnic minority alliance, in what analysts say was a move sanctioned by junta authorities.

With inputs from agencies