Myanmar residents cross a river into Wanding, Dai-Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture of Dehong in Southwest China's Yunnan Province Tuesday near Wanding's boundary monument park.( Photo: Cui Meng/GT)
Fighting between govt forces, ethnic groups rages on
A huge number of Myanmar residents have moved to camps in border towns of China, with more pouring in as conflicts in northern Myanmar rage on.
In a camp in Wanding, Dai-Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture of Dehong, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, more than 70 tents have been erected, and each could accommodating 10 people.
The camp is being guarded and managed by personnel from the public security and border defense departments, armed forces and emergency center. The Blue Sky Rescue and Red Cross Society are also assisting the refugees.
A Myanmar resident told the Global Times at the Wanding camp that she, together with her two children, has been living in the camp for three days. "Even though the soldiers do not shoot locals, bullets have no eyes, so we still could get hurt."
The Myanmar citizens came to Wanding through a border river near Wanding's boundary monument park. They were then made to register.
"My family only assigned a person to look after the house and defend against thieves," a Myanmar local who just entered Wanding, told the Global Times.
Meanwhile, two vehicles carrying aid workers for displaced people, were attacked by three ethnic armed groups as the vehicles were heading for the 105th Mile Muse Border Trade Zone in Myanmar's Northern Shan state, said the Information Committee of the State Counselor's Office Tuesday, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
On Tuesday, Global Times reporters saw Myanmar residents crossing into Ruili, a border city, besides Muse in Yunnan. A camp in Ruili has likewise been set up at a palace in the city.
Zhang Fenghua, a Chinese citizen who has lived in Muse for 17 years, told the Global Times that more than 10,000 Muse residents have entered China, and "Muse was almost empty."
"Myanmar's conflicts revolve around the benefits between a main ethnic group and many other minor ethnic groups," Gu Xiaosong, the head of Southeast Asian Studies at the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Myanmar's government is more powerful than states consisting of minor ethnic groups, but the states cover a larger land area, which is causing an unbalanced development in the country, Gu said.
"Since it gained independence, Myanmar promised the states a better quality of life, but the central government failed to fulfill its promise. On the contrary, the government has been trying to gain greater control over ethnic groups," Gu said.
Gu added that foreign powers have also been interfering in the conflicts. Because Myanmar is close to China, the U.S. has been using Myanmar to contain China.
"It may take some time before Myanmar achieves peace. China should also consider the welfare of the groups, and help them seek better development," said Gu.
Chinese Ambassador Hong Liang on Tuesday urged all parties to exercise restraint to immediately end the armed conflicts near the China-Myanmar border.
The government claimed that eight people including a soldier, three policemen and a militiaman have died, and 29 others have been injured, according to Xinhua.
