Mass arrest of Chinese in Myanmar

More than 100 foreign nationals, said to be mostly Chinese citizens, have been arrested for illegal logging and other alleged crimes in northern Myanmar near the Chinese border.

A press release by Myanmar's defense ministry said the army acted based on aerial surveys of logging activities in the state of Kachin. It said Tuesday the army arrested 102 foreigners and 20 Myanmar nationals, the Associated Press reported.

The statement did not identify the foreigners' nationality, but the illegal logging was reported to have taken place near the Myanmar-China border.

The National Democratic Alliance Army, a rebel group based in northeast Myanmar, told the Global Times that all the 102 foreigners arrested are Chinese nationals. The Kachin Independence Army, another rebel group, said one of their officers had also been detained by the Myanmarese army in their camp together with the arrested, and said "their situation and prospects are not optimistic."

Various sources have told Global Times reporters that the Myanmar army started a crackdown on jade smuggling in Kachin State in December, followed by a crackdown on illegal logging from January 2 to 4.

The son of one Chinese jade businessman based in Kachin told the Global Times that his father had been missing since late December.

The Chinese Embassy in Yangon told the Global Times on Wednesday that they have not received any consular notification from Myanmar, and were not yet able to confirm the nationality of the arrested.

Myanmar instituted a ban on unauthorized logging in April 2014.

Foreign ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei said at a Wednesday press conference that the Chinese diplomatic mission in Myanmar is trying to get more information about the arrest, and will work with Myanmar to deal with this issue and maintain order in the border areas between China and Myanmar. Hong added that China hopes and believes that the lawful and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens can be preserved.

Zhu Zhenming, a deputy director of the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies at the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times he believes that legal loopholes in Myanmar have made the logging business difficult in the country. "There have been cases in the past where the central government does not recognize the legitimacy of the contracts signed between Chinese logging companies and local governments," said Zhu.

"To the Myanmarese government, logging and jade are important resources and industries owned by the state, and local government has no right to sign deals with foreign companies," Zhu noted.

The crackdown may also imply instability in Myanmar's political situation, with struggles over resources among different political and military camps. Myanmar's army may have used illegal logging as an excuse to strike a blow against the Kachin Independence Army, which derives a portion of its income from taxes imposed on logging businesses in the area, according to Zhu.