Yunnan to set up zone to combat fraud

A temporary strict border control zone will be established in the city of Tengchong in Southwest China's Yunnan province from Sunday to Dec 31 to combat cross-border telecom and online fraud, according to an announcement from the city.

Tengchong is located in the west of Yunnan and borders Myanmar to the north and northwest. The city is an important gateway for China into South and Southeast Asia.

According to an official announcement, the establishment of the zone is meant to improve the management of people and vehicle crossings in the area, so as to restrict trespassers from entering the control zone and reduce the chances of people illegally crossing the border and participating in telecom fraud in northern Myanmar.

The control zone will cover several townships bordering Myanmar, including Houqiao, Diantan and Mingguang, according to the announcement.

For residents within the control zone who engage in farming or require land for grazing cattle, local communities will issue a certificate to each of them, and residents will need to register at the nearest joint border station once a month.

Border officials and forest rangers who need to conduct business within the control zone must also provide certificates and register at the border stations once a month.

Individuals involved in border projects, maintenance and bamboo and wood cutting within the zone must provide certificates from property owners or relevant departments and register at the stations every 15 days, the announcement said.

The governments of the border towns will notify joint border stations about government personnel and vehicles from areas outside the border towns that need to enter and exit the control zone. Military personnel and police officers performing normal duties will not need to undergo inspections, it said.

Officers from the joint border stations will register and verify individuals and vehicles entering the control zone. Those who lack the required documents will be checked and handed over to local police stations, it said.