Chinese consular team arrives at Myanmar's Kachin state to verify incidents

A Chinese consular working group arrived at Myitgyina, capital of Myanmar's northernmost Kachin state, Monday to carry out consular protection services for Chinese citizens detained for entering Myanmar to conduct logging.

The group will also carry out investigation over the report on the trap of some Chinese citizens in Kachin state amid armed clashes.

According to Myanmar media report, about 100 Chinese citizens were detained for alleged smuggling of timber in a crackdown by Myanmar military in the state.

They were jailed at the Myitgyina Prison, reports said.

Regarding whether some Chinese citizens were trapped in Kachin state in the battle as well as their exact figure, Myanmar official told Xinhua that it is still unclear due to inaccessibility of transport and communication to the region.

However, the official expressed concern over the situation in the northern state, saying that it will speed up verification of the information.

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) on Monday freed three abducted Myanmar police officers and handed over them to the peace mediator to be transferred to the government side, according to a member of the mediator.

U Lamai Gum Ja, member of the Peace Talks Creation Group (PCG), told Xinhua over phone that the freed three police officers are on the way to Phakant, the battlefield of the two sides, to be transferred to the government side.

According to the Kachin media, sporadic armed clashes between the Myanmar government troops and the KIA continued on Monday.

The clashes between the two sides broke out last Thursday following the ambush by KIA on a convoy of Kachin state transport minister U Kamann Du Naw on Wednesday on a highway in the area.

Although the minister was freed and allowed to proceed after being questioned, three police officers, who escorted the minister, were abducted. Endi