Residents of Muse Township in Shan State, driven by fear of renewed conflict after Chinese New Year, are eagerly seeking China-Myanmar border passes.

Due to job scarcity and the looming threat of renewed conflicts in post-Chinese New Year period, residents of not only from Muse but also nearby Pang Hseng, Manhlyoe, Monekoe, and Namhkam towns are hastily applying for border passes, Muse residents said.

"After the Chinese New Year, individuals concerned about the potential resurgence of conflicts have been scrambling to obtain the red book (border pass). The queue outside the immigration office can reach several thousand people, extending as far as the golf course, which is quite a distance away. Some have resorted to bribing immigration officials for expedited processing, while others have opted to sell their token numbers to those seeking to bypass the line”, a local reported.

It has been announced that border pass renewals with a fixed one-year term will be issued to residents of Muse and Namhkam at the District Immigration Offices, accompanied by pre-fixed service fees. However, in reality, locals are compelled to apply for these passes by paying exorbitant amounts through brokers.

A resident of Muse informed Shan Herald that authorities are only issuing about 300 border passes per day, leading some individuals to wait overnight to secure them.

Although Muse and Namhkam are experiencing a period of calm without ongoing clashes, there is a substantial increase in individuals applying for one-year border passes to seek employment opportunities on the Chinese side, reflecting the prevailing scarcity of jobs in the region.

During the last week of January, due to the brokers' lack of accountability in facilitating intermediary processes for obtaining border passes, some applicants experienced document loss and financial losses, according to locals.