Myanmar holds Chinese over illegal lumbering

The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that Chinese citizens were detained by Myanmar authorities for illegal lumbering and that embassy staff members had been sent to offer them help.

"China has requested that Myanmar authorities protect Chinese citizens' safety and their justified rights and interests," ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily news conference on Monday.

The incident comes amid reports that hundreds of Chinese citizens could be trapped in northern Myanmar by a renewed outbreak of fighting between government forces and rebels.