In Myanmar, 19 people including four security personnel were reportedly killed over the weekend after cultural insurgents attacked an illegal casino located close to the country’s border using China.
According to a report by GGRAsia citing a previous story by the Reuters news service, the assault about 100 members of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army took place on Saturday afternoon at the Shan state border community of Muse and also involved attacks on neighborhood security checkpoints.
Casinos aren’t officially authorized in Mayanmar, which has been called Burma before a controversial name change from 1989, but GGRAsia reported that local paramilitary groups and organized crime syndicates run numerous gaming places in Shan state boundary regions enticing to gamers at China’s neighboring Yunnan Province.
A government spokesperson reportedly announced that the assault on the unnamed casino had been repelled by armed authorities and government-backed paramilitaries with GGRAsia further announcing that it was unclear as to the quantity of harm the illegal gaming establishment had incurred.
A spokesperson for the team, Colonel Tar Aik Kyaw, purportedly told Reuters the violent actions had been conducted because the casino, which was supposedly run by local paramilitaries, had been coping illegal narcotics.
“The militia is shielding the casinos and also those casinos would be the gateway for distributing drugs,” the agent reportedly told the news service. “Many civilians visit the casinos and it causes lots of social problems so we launched a major assault.
Following earlier appeals from the chief ministers for the countries of Mon, Kayin and Shan and their counterparts from the large administrative divisions of Tanintharyi and Mandalay, Myanmar last month reportedly started compiling its legislation on gaming and could soon allow resorts to incorporate modest casinos. GGRAsia comprehensive that the practice, which it’s hoped will help the country to improve tourism from neighboring countries like China, Thailand and India, has already caused the government receiving expressions of interest from several casino operators like some accountable for gaming places in Macau.