The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) recently reopened a trading gate on Namkham Township’s border with China as several other crossings remain contested or closed, local business people said.
The ethnic armed organisation’s customs department unveiled the post on April 29, located two miles south of Namkham town and near the village of Nawng Tawng on the western bank of the Shweli River. However, neither the TNLA nor China have released an official statement acknowledging the operations of the trading site.
Although the gate is not expected to serve as a major commercial centre, the TNLA is allowing the export of local goods, such as corn, charcoal, and timber, as well as minerals, including silicon extracted from Namkham and metals from the famous Bawdwin mine in neighbouring Namtu; the TNLA claimed control over both townships late last year, seizing seven towns in total along the. . .
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