Mong La emerged from a small remote village in the 1990s to become a local version of
Las Vegas. The
National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA) operates in the Mong La area. By the 2010s, the area was known as a regional hub for drugs and prostitution. Mong La is located in the
Golden Triangle area which is a hub for regional imports of
precursor chemicals as well as a site of synthetic drug production. The Sop Lwe river port is an important transit point for both licit and illicit goods along the Mekong River, sitting upstream of the
Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, which is widely identified as a major regional hub for transnational organized crime. In 1995, the
State Law and Order Restoration Council began construction of a replica of
Shwedagon Pagoda in Mong La. The pagoda was consecrated in 1997. Mong La
casinos were closed in January 2005 for about a year because of complaints from the
Government of China. Mong La has a history of rapid expansion, but in the late 2000s, its economy was in decline. Tourism from Thailand to Mong La resumed in 2012 after the signing of new cease fire agreement between the Burmese military government and the Mong La NDAA in September 2011. There has been an increase in illegal
wildlife trafficking in the region. Mong La has emerged as a significant hub of the pangolin trade; during four visits in 2006, 2009, 2013–2014 and 2015, a total of 42 bags of pangolin scales, 32 whole skins, 16 foetuses or pangolin parts in wine and 27 whole pangolins were observed for sale. Wildlife products from Africa, such as African elephant ivory and white rhino horn, have been observed openly for sale in Mong La, indicating this hub is being used to move such items into China. There were reports that Chinese company Shanghai Shellpay Internet Technology has planned to construct the Yongbang Blockchain Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Mong La. In February 2019, the Chinese Embassy in Myanmar released a statement on the creation of Yongbang SEZ. However, Mong La officials have denied that Chinese firms were permitted to set up a blockchain SEZ in the region. ==Gallery==