Kutkai
Encyclopedia
Kutkai is a town and seat of Kutkai Township
, in the Shan State
of eastern-central Burma. It lies along National Highway 3
, approximately 24 kilometres to the north of Lashio
.
in Katkai.
Shan State became a major Christian area of Burma from the mid 19th century.
Kutkai was an important centre for the Kachin Baptist Church and was visited by missionaries, notably Baptist Reverend George J. Geis
in the 1930s and Gustaf A. Sword from 1936 to 1942.
Geis died in Kutkai on October 28, 1936 whilst he was working there at the Kachin Bible Training School he had established.
During World War II
, Kutkai was occupied by the Japanese. On September 10, 1944, the Chinese Fourteenth Air Force sent out 45 B-25 Mitchell
s to bomb Kutkai along with the towns of Tunganhsien, Lingling and Tunghsiangchiao.but the town was abandoned without a fight when the Chinese reached it on February 19, 1945.
In July 1954, Hoo Kya Chin, a Kokang
businessman from Mu Kwan was arrested by the immigration officials in kutkai for not carrying an identification card which caused some controversy in the region.
In the 1980s, two privates and a sergeant of the Kachin Independence Army
insurgent 4th Brigade surrendered at Kutkai garrison.
. It lies at an altitude of 4800 feet. To the east of Kutkai is the Nam Ting River and the Salween River
.
It sits on Mandalay-Lashio-Muse road aka Asian Highway route 14 (AH14). it is 222 miles from Mandalay
, 58 miles from Lashio
and 68 miles to Muse
. Kutkai-Tarmoene road is 17 miles, Kutkai-Kaungkha road is 8 miles, Kutkai-Manbyien road is 8miles and Kutkai-Karlaing road is 8miles also.
In the 1990s, Kutkai township was exposed as a major raw opium
producing area. From September 1996, the U.S. Department of State funded $530,000 and established agricultural cooperatives in 25 villages in Kutkai township to crack down on the illegal drugs trade by promoting the growth of buckwheat, wheat, potatoes and other vegetables.Large quantities of opium were confiscated from the houses of villagers in the area in the summer of 1999.On July 31-August 1, 2003, a refinery was raided in Kutkai Township between the villages of Namhsaungkye and Nampyin revealing 62.452 kilos of heroin, 36.4 kilos of raw opium, 661.5 litres of lyso
l, 135 kilos of ether
, 2,844 litres of chloroform
, 202.5 litres of hydrochloric acid
, 972 litres of acetic anhydrite, 2,975 kilos of ammonium chloride
, 500 kilos of sodium carbonate
, 500 grams of potassium chloride
and 3.6 kilos of sodium
, various weapons and 13 implements used in the refining of narcotic drugs.
Kutkai Township
Kutkai Township is a township of Muse District in the Shan State of eastern Burma. The principal town is Kutkai.It shares the border with Laukkai Township aka Laukkaing Township of Laukkaing District in the east...
, in the Shan State
Shan State
Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
of eastern-central Burma. It lies along National Highway 3
National Highway 3 (Burma)
National Highway 3 is one of the most important highways of central-eastern Burma. It connects Mandalay to Muse on the border with China....
, approximately 24 kilometres to the north of Lashio
Lashio
Lashio is the largest town in northern Shan State, Myanmar, about northeast of Mandalay. It is situated on a low mountain spur overlooking the valley of the Nam Yao river. The population grew from around 5000 in 1960 to 88,590 in 1983. It is currently estimated at around 130,000.Lashio is the...
.
History
In the early 20th century, the area around Kutkai was explored by British botanists. In 1912, Stephenson documented that he had found the earthworm species Pheretima molesta of the genus PheretimaPheretima
Pheretima is a genus of earthworms found mostly in New Guinea and parts of Southeast Asia.The clitellum is a band of grandular tissue present on segments 14 to 16. Individuals are hermaphroditic and reproduction can be either sexual or parthenogenetic. Female genital pores lie on the ventral...
in Katkai.
Shan State became a major Christian area of Burma from the mid 19th century.
Kutkai was an important centre for the Kachin Baptist Church and was visited by missionaries, notably Baptist Reverend George J. Geis
George J. Geis
The Reverend George J. Geis was an American Baptist minister and anthropologist of German descent, best known for his missionary work in northeastern Burma...
in the 1930s and Gustaf A. Sword from 1936 to 1942.
Geis died in Kutkai on October 28, 1936 whilst he was working there at the Kachin Bible Training School he had established.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Kutkai was occupied by the Japanese. On September 10, 1944, the Chinese Fourteenth Air Force sent out 45 B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
s to bomb Kutkai along with the towns of Tunganhsien, Lingling and Tunghsiangchiao.but the town was abandoned without a fight when the Chinese reached it on February 19, 1945.
In July 1954, Hoo Kya Chin, a Kokang
Kokang
Kokang , formally the First Special Region, is a self-administrative region of Burma . It is located in the northern part of Shan State, with the Salween River to its west, and it shares a border with China's Yunnan Province in the east. Its total land area is around . The capital is Laukkai...
businessman from Mu Kwan was arrested by the immigration officials in kutkai for not carrying an identification card which caused some controversy in the region.
In the 1980s, two privates and a sergeant of the Kachin Independence Army
Kachin Independence Army
The Kachin Independence Army is the military arm of the Kachin Independence Organization , a political group composed of ethnic Kachins in northern Burma...
insurgent 4th Brigade surrendered at Kutkai garrison.
Geography
Kutkai is situated in eastern-central Burma, several kilometres by road north of Hsenwi and about 24 kilometres north of LashioLashio
Lashio is the largest town in northern Shan State, Myanmar, about northeast of Mandalay. It is situated on a low mountain spur overlooking the valley of the Nam Yao river. The population grew from around 5000 in 1960 to 88,590 in 1983. It is currently estimated at around 130,000.Lashio is the...
. It lies at an altitude of 4800 feet. To the east of Kutkai is the Nam Ting River and the Salween River
Salween River
The Salween is a river, about long, that flows from the Tibetan Plateau into the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia. It drains a narrow and mountainous watershed of that extends into the countries China, Burma and Thailand. Steep canyon walls line the swift, powerful and undammed Salween, one of the...
.
It sits on Mandalay-Lashio-Muse road aka Asian Highway route 14 (AH14). it is 222 miles from Mandalay
Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
, 58 miles from Lashio
Lashio
Lashio is the largest town in northern Shan State, Myanmar, about northeast of Mandalay. It is situated on a low mountain spur overlooking the valley of the Nam Yao river. The population grew from around 5000 in 1960 to 88,590 in 1983. It is currently estimated at around 130,000.Lashio is the...
and 68 miles to Muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
. Kutkai-Tarmoene road is 17 miles, Kutkai-Kaungkha road is 8 miles, Kutkai-Manbyien road is 8miles and Kutkai-Karlaing road is 8miles also.
Economy
As with many parts of Burma, the economy relies on agriculture, particularly rice production. Villagers in Kutkai Township are generally well educated in farming practices and in canning-bottling.Of major note is the Kutkai Market in the town where people come from miles to sell their goods. Kutkai High School is located in the southern part of the town. The town also contains the Kutkai General Hospital.In the 1990s, Kutkai township was exposed as a major raw opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
producing area. From September 1996, the U.S. Department of State funded $530,000 and established agricultural cooperatives in 25 villages in Kutkai township to crack down on the illegal drugs trade by promoting the growth of buckwheat, wheat, potatoes and other vegetables.Large quantities of opium were confiscated from the houses of villagers in the area in the summer of 1999.On July 31-August 1, 2003, a refinery was raided in Kutkai Township between the villages of Namhsaungkye and Nampyin revealing 62.452 kilos of heroin, 36.4 kilos of raw opium, 661.5 litres of lyso
Lyso
The term lyso is applied as a prefix to the various phospholipids to indicate the removal of one of the two fatty acids. For example, lysophosphatidylcholines are phosphatidylcholines with a single acyl group in either the 1- or 2-position....
l, 135 kilos of ether
Ether
Ethers are a class of organic compounds that contain an ether group — an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups — of general formula R–O–R'. A typical example is the solvent and anesthetic diethyl ether, commonly referred to simply as "ether"...
, 2,844 litres of chloroform
Chloroform
Chloroform is an organic compound with formula CHCl3. It is one of the four chloromethanes. The colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid is a trihalomethane, and is considered somewhat hazardous...
, 202.5 litres of hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid is a solution of hydrogen chloride in water, that is a highly corrosive, strong mineral acid with many industrial uses. It is found naturally in gastric acid....
, 972 litres of acetic anhydrite, 2,975 kilos of ammonium chloride
Ammonium chloride
Ammonium chloride NH4Cl is an inorganic compound with the formula NH4Cl. It is a white crystalline salt that is highly soluble in water. Solutions of ammonium chloride are mildly acidic. Sal ammoniac is a name of natural, mineralogical form of ammonium chloride...
, 500 kilos of sodium carbonate
Sodium carbonate
Sodium carbonate , Na2CO3 is a sodium salt of carbonic acid. It most commonly occurs as a crystalline heptahydrate, which readily effloresces to form a white powder, the monohydrate. Sodium carbonate is domestically well-known for its everyday use as a water softener. It can be extracted from the...
, 500 grams of potassium chloride
Potassium chloride
The chemical compound potassium chloride is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. In its pure state, it is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance, with a crystal structure that cleaves easily in three directions. Potassium chloride crystals are...
and 3.6 kilos of sodium
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
, various weapons and 13 implements used in the refining of narcotic drugs.