Authorities in northern Myanmar’s Kachin state have arrested four Chinese nationals for illegally entering the country and working on banana plantations, bringing the number of Chinese in police custody to nine in the last two weeks, RFA reported.

During surprise security checks, officials from Kachin state’s Forestry Department and Immigration Department discovered two Chinese from the Nantwah Generation Star company in the Nantwah forest reserve and another two from the Malikha Dragon company in the Washaung forest reserve without permission and arrested them, said officer Kyaw Soe at the Waingmaw Police Station.

The four will face charges under Myanmar’s immigration law, sources said without elaborating

Chinese banana plantation in Kachin state. Screengrab from YouTube/mali zupra