This general view photo shows the Myanmar-China border town of Laukkai on September 8, 2009. Photo: AFP

Myanmar authorities on Tuesday arrested 17 Chinese nationals posing as policemen and carrying fake guns in the Kokang region of northern Shan state, a police official said, raising questions as to whether they were involved in illegal activities targeting Chinese tourists in the border area, RFA reported.

The Chinese citizens, believed to have entered Myanmar illegally, were apprehended in the Kokang capital Laukkai near the China-Myanmar border, said Zaw Khin Aung, chief of the Shan state police force.

Authorities found on them two uniforms, a bulletproof vest, two fake pistols made of fibre, and another fake gun that resembled an M22 pistol, Zaw Khin Aung said.

The members of the group were charged under Section 170 of Myanmar’s Penal Code for impersonating public servants, he said.