Lweje
Encyclopedia
Lweje is a town
in Kachin State
in northeastern Burma near the border with Longchuan County, Yunnan Province, China
. It is one of the 10 border trade
points with 4 neighbouring countries opened in 2002 by the military regime
.
, a distance of 76 km (47.2 mi), to a gravel road with Chinese assistance, was completed in December 2006. It has cut the journey time from Bhamo
on the Ayeyarwady River
to the border from nearly 10 hours to about 3 hours.
, textiles and foodstuffs are imported. The volume of trade however is much smaller compared with Muse
in Shan State
where up to 75% of exports to Yunnan passes through to Ruili
across the Shweli River
.
After the military regime negotiated cease-fire agreements with the United Wa State Army
(UWSA) and the New Democratic Army (Kachin) (NDA-K) in 1989, and with the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) in 1994, a boom in the timber
trade with China followed. Earlier logging
concessions granted to Thai
companies were cancelled in 1993 due to economic loss from violation of terms and over-logging with ecological devastation.
Northern Kachin State became the area for most of the logging activity mainly by Chinese companies employing Chinese labour, and Lweje, along with Laiza
, one of the checkpoint
s on the border. KIO logging activities also increased dramatically when after the cease-fire deal it lost control of the Hpakant
jade
mines
and the revenue they had generated. From 1997 to 2002, 88% of China's timber exports from Burma was shipped overland to Yunnan, 75% of this from Kachin State.
There are believed to exist large deposits of coal
in the Lweje area.
of women into China is a problem the two countries are trying to tackle and anti-trafficking offices were opened on 22 December 2008 in both Lweje and Jiang Phong.
Centenary celebrations of the American Baptist
Mission
were held for 3 days at Lweje at the end of December 2008.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in Kachin State
Kachin State
Kachin State , is the northernmost state of Burma. It is bordered by China to the north and east; Shan State to the south; and Sagaing Division and India to the west. It lies between north latitude 23° 27' and 28° 25' longitude 96° 0' and 98° 44'. The area of Kachin State is . The capital of the...
in northeastern Burma near the border with Longchuan County, Yunnan Province, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. It is one of the 10 border trade
Border trade
Border trade, in general, refers to the flow of goods and services across theinternational borders between jurisdictions. In this sense, it is a part of normal legal tradethat flows through standard export/import frameworks of nations...
points with 4 neighbouring countries opened in 2002 by the military regime
State Peace and Development Council
The State Peace and Development Council was the official name of the military regime of Burma , which seized power in 1988. On 30 March 2011, Senior General Than Shwe signed a decree to officially dissolve the Council....
.
Transport
Border trade in the region has tripled since the upgrading of the dirt road connecting Lweje with MomaukMomauk
-External links:*...
, a distance of 76 km (47.2 mi), to a gravel road with Chinese assistance, was completed in December 2006. It has cut the journey time from Bhamo
Bhamo
Bhamo is a city of Kachin State in northernmost part of Myanmar, located 186 km south from the capital city of Myitkyina. It is on the Ayeyarwady River. It lies within 65 km of the border with Yunnan Province, China. The population consists of Chinese and Shan, with Kachin peoples in...
on the Ayeyarwady River
Ayeyarwady River
The Irrawaddy River or Ayeyarwady River is a river that flows from north to south through Burma . It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway. Originating from the confluence of the N'mai and Mali rivers, it flows relatively straight North-South before emptying through...
to the border from nearly 10 hours to about 3 hours.
Economy
Exports to China include fruit, beans, rice and onions, while electronicsElectronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
, textiles and foodstuffs are imported. The volume of trade however is much smaller compared with Muse
Muse (Shan State)
Muse is the principal town of Muse Township also spell as Mu Se Township in northern Shan State, Myanmar. It is situated on the Shweli River, and is connected by a bridge and road to Ruili in Yunnan Province, China....
in 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...
where up to 75% of exports to Yunnan passes through to Ruili
Ruili
Ruili City is a county-level city in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan province, southwest China.It is a major border crossing between China and Myanmar, with Muse town located across the border.- Name :...
across the Shweli River
Shweli River
Shweli River is a river in Myanmar . Also known as Nam Mao in Shan and Lung Chuan Chiang in Chinese, it forms part of the boundary between Burma and China. It is one of the tributaries of the country's chief river, the Ayeyarwady, and arises in Yunnan Province of China...
.
After the military regime negotiated cease-fire agreements with the United Wa State Army
United Wa State Army
The United Wa State Army is an ethnic minority army of an estimated 30,000 Wa soldiers of Myanmar's Special Region No. 2 led by Bao Youxiang . There is no recognised Wa State in Myanmar, which is divided into divisions, states, and special regions...
(UWSA) and the New Democratic Army (Kachin) (NDA-K) in 1989, and with the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) in 1994, a boom in the timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
trade with China followed. Earlier logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
concessions granted to Thai
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
companies were cancelled in 1993 due to economic loss from violation of terms and over-logging with ecological devastation.
Northern Kachin State became the area for most of the logging activity mainly by Chinese companies employing Chinese labour, and Lweje, along with Laiza
Laiza
Laiza is a town in the Kachin State of Burma, on the border with China at:.-History:Laiza was just a village prior to 1994. It became an important town in Kachin State after Kachin Independence Organization made a cease-fire agreement with the State Peace and Development Council and moved its...
, one of the checkpoint
Border checkpoint
A border checkpoint is a place, generally between two countries, where travellers and/or goods are inspected. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders often have a limited number of checkpoints where they can be crossed without legal...
s on the border. KIO logging activities also increased dramatically when after the cease-fire deal it lost control of the Hpakant
Hpakant
Hpakant , is a town in Hpakant Township, Kachin State of the northernmost part of the Union of Myanmar. It is located on the Uyu River 350 km north of Mandalay in the middle of one of the world's most inhospitable and malaria infested jungles, cut off for several months a year during the...
jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and the revenue they had generated. From 1997 to 2002, 88% of China's timber exports from Burma was shipped overland to Yunnan, 75% of this from Kachin State.
There are believed to exist large deposits of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
in the Lweje area.
Crime
Human traffickingHuman trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
of women into China is a problem the two countries are trying to tackle and anti-trafficking offices were opened on 22 December 2008 in both Lweje and Jiang Phong.
Religion
During September–October 2007 at the time of the Saffron Revolution, Buddhist monasteries were surrounded and locked down at Lweje by the military as in many other parts of the country.Centenary celebrations of the American Baptist
American Baptist
American Baptist may refer to:* American Baptist Association* American Baptist Churches USA* Baptist who is an American...
Mission
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
were held for 3 days at Lweje at the end of December 2008.
External links
- Satellite map at Maplandia.com
- Nine trucks carrying contraband seized on Sino-Burma border Mizzima NewsMizzima NewsMizzima News is a Burmese multimedia news organization. It was established in August 1998 by a group of Burmese journalists in exile. The International Press Institute awarded Mizzima News its Free Media Pioneer award in 2007.-Organization:...
, 9 October 2008