China orders citizens engaged in illegal activities in Myanmar to come home to face the music – but Covid-19 controls leave them stuck in limbo

More than 10,000 people, many suspected of involvement in phone and internet scams, are stuck across the border waiting to surrender to the authorities

The authorities in the border city of Ruili have warned they face unprecedented pressure as they try to stop the disease from spreading

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Motorists on the Myanmar side of the border pass a locked gate that leads to Ruili. Photo: STR/ AFP

Published: 8:00am, 2 Oct 2021Updated: 9:01pm, 2 Oct 2021

More than 10,000 Chinese nationals who entered Myanmar illegally are now stuck in the country due to Covid-19 controls as the authorities warn their border defences are facing unprecedented pressures.

The Covid-19 command centre in Ruili, a city on the border between Yunnan and Myanmar, wrote on an online message board run by People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s mouthpiece, that an unstable political situation, a worsening epidemic in Myanmar and threats to remove emigrants’ residency rights have contributed to the build-up of Chinese residents trying to get home.

“More than 10,000 people are still waiting to enter China, causing Ruili to receive an above-capacity number of people who have come to return home to admit to their crimes,” the notice said.

According to mainland media reports, many of these people were engaged in illicit activities such as internet and telephone frauds.

The reports said police across China had issued public notices and directives in the summer calling on those who had crossed the border illegally, especially those in northern Myanmar, to return home.

The messages warned that it they failed to comply they would face heavy penalties, including losing their residency permits, which grant them access to public services such as health and education.

Article 322 of the Criminal Law prohibits any activities that “disrupt the management of borders”, a provision the courts have used to punish people who have entered or left China during the pandemic saying they could help spread the disease.