The escalation of hostilities between the Myanmar government and rebel factions has resulted in hundreds of Chinese people being trapped in the country.

Chinese wood craftsmen, gold miners and jade merchants are now trapped in Myanmar and join approximately 2,000 refugees that have been displaced by the conflict between the local government and the Kachin Independence Army. Local aid workers say the refugees are in desperate need of food, clean water, and medicine.

Global Times reports Myanmar government forces are being sent to the area directly across from Lushui County in the Nujiang Lisu autonomous prefecture in northwest Yunnan where fighting with Kachin rebels is described to have “greatly troubled” villages on the Chinese side.

Even though the Myanmar government has been able to broker a ceasefire with many guerrilla factions, the Kachin have rejected all proposals.

In 2011, fighting between the two sides got as close as 65 kilometers to the Chinese border, causing 100,000 people to flee their homes. In 2012, the conflict caused Myanmar refugees to flee across the Chinese border, something the Chinese government tried to prevent.

Photo: Headline News