Myanmar convoy burns on China’s border as its envoy meets for talks By Reuters – Canada Boosts

(Reuters) -A convoy of vehicles bringing items into Myanmar from China has gone up in flames in what state media reported on Friday was an rebel assault, compounding surging insecurity that has raised concern in neighbouring China.

The fireplace within the city of Muse got here as China’s ambassador to Myanmar met prime officers within the Myanmar capital for talks on stability on the border after latest indicators that their relationship has been coming beneath uncommon pressure.

“Due to this terrorist act … about 120 out of 258 vehicles carrying household goods, consumer goods, clothes and building materials were destroyed by fire,” the state-run World New Gentle of Myanmar newspaper reported, referring to an opposition alliance that launched an offensive towards the junta a month in the past.

Li Kyar Win, a spokesman for one of many rebel forces, denied torching the convoy saying it didn’t conduct assaults that might “destroy the people’s interests”.

Myanmar’s navy has misplaced management of a number of cities and navy outposts within the northeast and elsewhere across the nation because it grapples with the largest coordinated offensive it has confronted because it seized energy in a 2021 coup.

Greater than 2 million individuals have been displaced in numerous components of the nation as a result of surge of preventing, the United Nations says.

Earlier within the week, at the least 10 individuals had been killed in Laukkai city, which like Muse can also be in Shan State on the border with China, media reported, when a rocket hit a automobile of individuals making an attempt to flee the preventing.

Spokespeople for the junta and a insurgent group working within the space each condemned the incident and denied duty.

Reuters couldn’t independently confirm the dying toll within the assault.

China has referred to as for peace and stability in Myanmar and the most recent unrest got here as its ambassador, Chen Hai, was assembly Myanmar’s military-appointed international minister, Than Swe, and navy officers within the capital, Naypyitaw.

They mentioned “bilateral relations, continued implementation of mutually beneficial bilateral projects” and “cooperation in peace and stability and rule of law along the borde”, Myanmar state media reported.

China’s embassy in Myanmar issued a discover late on Friday asking Chinese language nationals stranded in Laukkai to evacuate as quickly as doable, citing “high” security dangers.

CRACKDOWN ON CRIME

Earlier than the most recent rebel offensive, Chinese language and Myanmar junta officers had launched a crackdown within the area on gangs working web fraud centres that China blames for dishonest a lot of its individuals.

As a part of that drive, Myanmar handed over tens of 1000’s Chinese language telecom fraud suspects this month.

The preventing near the border and the drive towards the net fraud gangs, many organised by Chinese language criminals, has shone a highlight on the neighbours’ relations.

China has been supportive of the Myanmar navy because it seized energy in 2021 however Chinese language authorities have for years had complicated cross-border relations with factions in northeast Myanmar typically exterior the management of the central authorities.

Myanmar authorities have lengthy suspected China of meddling in help of some militia factions.

On the weekend, in a uncommon rally in Myanmar since a sweeping crackdown on dissent, dozens of nationalist protesters gathered exterior the Chinese language embassy in the primary metropolis of Yangon with banners and posters essential of Beijing.

“We request China government don’t support northern terrorist groups,” learn one in all their posters, in English.

Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun later stated the protesters had been against the insurgents. He didn’t confer with their name for China to not help the rebels however accused the Western media of making an attempt to destroy Myanmar’s relations with China.