An immigration officer said that while the individuals had visas to live in Burma, they had been ‘repeatedly warned’ not to run shops.

Police arrested three Chinese nationals in Kachin State’s Waingmaw Township on Wednesday because they were reportedly operating shops without official permits to do so.

The two men and one woman have been charged with violating Burma’s Immigration Act 13(1) and are being detained at Waingmaw downtown police station.

The woman was reportedly operating the Shang Nan auto parts store, and the men had opened a shop selling agricultural materials.

Ah Si, who works in Waingmaw’s immigration department, said that the individuals had official travel documents and visas to live in Burma.

“Their stay is legal here, but they are running shops without permission. We have repeatedly warned them not to run shops. If they want to run shops, they must seek permission from the respective department,” Ah Sai told KNG.

According to the immigration act, foreign nationals who are found to have violated the law can be fined up to 1 million kyat (US$658), but locals said that the fine in Waingmaw is typically around 500,000 kyat ($329).