Chico News and Review

The car came to an abrupt stop. "Get out," the driver said.

My friend and partner in journalism Tim Patterson and I stumbled in the moonless night through an uneven, bulldozed field toward the sound of a river. When we reached the river, we crossed a creaky bamboo footbridge and scrambled up a loose-dirt hill to an older SUV with its lights off.

"Welcome to Free Kachin," our contact said, smiling broadly.