A group of 20 nationals from China were turned away by hundreds of angry villagers in northeastern Myanmar’s Shan state Friday after crossing the border and attempting to plant a flag declaring the area to be Chinese territory, according to a local ethnic party official.

Shan Nationalities Democratic Party (SNDP) secretary Sai Tun Hle said the incident occurred when the Chinese nationals, including armed border guards, crossed into the area near Muse town from China’s Yunnan province and declared their intention to build a bridge across the Shweli (in Chinese, Ruili) river.

“They did not send any advance notice, they simply came over the border with several armed guards—around 20 in all,” he told RFA’s Myanmar Service.

“The villagers [from Muse] were concerned, so around 500 of them went to the area and rejected their demand.”

Sai Tun Hle said the matter had immediately been referred to authorities at the Shan state government level, who provided Muse authorities with a letter rejecting the claim.

When the Muse government administrator delivered the letter to the Chinese nationals, they left the area, he said.

Last year, villagers in the same area were angered when officials from both sides of the border jointly placed demarcation posts outlining the national boundaries, saying China had encroached on Myanmar territory.

Shan state officials later removed some of the posts, sources said.'

More here: Myanmar Villagers Turn Back Chinese Nationals After Border Encroachment