Pangkham

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Pangkham Pangsang / 邦康
Pangkham Location in Burma
Coordinates: 22°10′N 99°11′E
Country	Burma
Division	Shan State
Population (2002)
• Total	15,000
• Ethnicities	Wa, Shan, Chinese
• Religions	Buddhism
Time zone	MST (UTC+6.30)

Pangkham (Chinese: 邦康; pinyin: Bāngkāng, Va: Bangkum), previously known before 1999 as Pangsang (Chinese: 邦桑; pinyin: Bāngsāng, alternative spellings Panghsang, Phangsang), is a town in far eastern Shan State of Myanmar (Burma). It is situated at a bend on river Nam Hka near the border with Yunnan Province, China. Located opposite of Meng Lian, a town of Yunnan Province, China, Pangkham is the main town of Pangsang Township of Hopang District of Shan State.^[1]
It has hotels, shops, a supermarket, karaoke bars, a bowling alley, and a 24-hour casino.^[2] There is a throbbing night life centered on the casino. Food in Pangkham is mostly imported from China. The cars, mainly Land Rovers and Japanese pick-ups, have been smuggled in from Thailand.^[3]

History

Pangkham is the de facto capital of Wa State, officially designated as Special Region No. 2, while Hopang is its capital assigned by Myanmar government. It is controlled by the United Wa State Army (UWSA), the military wing of the United Wa State Party (UWSP) formed after the collapse of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB) in 1989.^[3][4]
On 17 April 2009, the 20th anniversary of the coup against the CPB was celebrated in Pangkham, attended by representatives from the military government, Kokang, Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), Shan State Army - North, and former members of the CPB.^[5]
The next day, on 18 April 2009, a fire destroyed the largest petrol station and over 10,000 tons of teak in a warehouse in Pangkham, both belonging to one of the Wa leaders Wei Hsueh-kang.^[6]
The road from Panghkam to Metman is 48 miles long.^[7]