Pangkham Pang Kham •ဝဵင်းပၢင်သၢင်း •邦康 Panghsang | |
|---|---|
  Pangkham Location in Myanmar | |
| Coordinates:22°10′N99°11′E / 22.167°N 99.183°E /22.167; 99.183 | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| Division | Wa State (de facto) Shan State (de jure) |
| Self-Administered Division (de jure) | Wa Self-Administered Division (de jure) |
| Special District (de facto) District (de jure) | Bangkum Special District (de facto) Matman District (de jure) |
| Population (2002) | |
• Total | 15,000 |
| • Ethnicities | WaShanHan Chinese |
| Time zone | UTC+6.30 (MMT) |
Pangkham (Burmese:ပန်ခမ်းမြို့;MLCTS:pan kham: mrui.;Chinese:邦康;pinyin:Bāngkāng;Parauk:Pang Kham), known before 1999 asPanghsang (Parauk:Pang Sang,Chinese:邦桑;pinyin:Bāngsāng;Wade–Giles:Pang1-sang1), is aborder town inMyanmar's far easternShan State. It is situated at a bend on theHka River near the border withYunnan Province,China, opposite of the town ofMenglian. Pangkham is the main town ofPangsang Township ofMatman District of Shan State.[1]
It hashotels, shops, asupermarket,karaoke bars, abowling alley, and a 24-hourcasino.[2] There is a thrivingnight life centered on the casino. Food in Pangkham is mostly imported from China. The cars, mainlyLand Rovers,Land Cruisers and foreignpick-ups, have been smuggled in fromThailand.[3]
Pangkham is thede factocapital ofWa State, officially designated theWa Self-Administered Division, whileHopang is its capital assigned by Myanmar government. It is controlled by theUnited Wa State Army (UWSA), the military wing of theUnited Wa State Party (UWSP) formed after the collapse of theCommunist Party of Burma (CPB) in 1989.[3][4]
In 1990s theWa Women's Association established an orphanage in Pangkham for children's whose parents were killed in fighting betweenUnited Wa State Army and Shan forces.[5]
On 17 April 2009, the 20th anniversary of the coup against the CPB was celebrated in Pangkham, attended by representatives from themilitary government,Kokang,Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO),Shan State Army - North, and former members of the CPB.[6]
The next day, on 18 April 2009, a fire destroyed the largest petrol station and over 10,000 tons ofteak in a warehouse in Pangkham, both belonging to one of the Wa leadersWei Hsueh-kang.[7]
The road from Panghkam toMetman is 48 miles long.[8]
