BANGKOK (AP) — About 1,300 folks have fled from jap Myanmar into Thailand, officers mentioned Saturday, as contemporary preventing erupted at a border city that has lately been captured by ethnic guerillas.
Fighters from the Karen ethnic minority final week captured the final of the Myanmar military’s outposts in and round Myawaddy, which is linked to Thailand by two bridges throughout the Moei River.
The newest clashes had been triggered within the morning when the Karen guerillas launched an assault in opposition to Myanmar troops who had been hiding close to the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, a significant crossing level for commerce with Thailand, mentioned police chief Pittayakorn Phetcharat in Thailand’s Mae Sot district. He estimated about 1,300 folks fled into Thailand.
Thai officers reported folks had began crossing since Friday following clashes in a number of areas of Myawaddy.
The autumn of Myawaddy is a significant setback for the navy that seized energy from the elected authorities of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. Myanmar’s once-mighty armed forces have suffered a sequence of unprecedented defeats since final October, shedding swathes of territory together with border posts to each ethnic fighters, who’ve been preventing for larger autonomy for many years, and pro-democracy guerrilla items that took up arms after the navy takeover.
The clashes, involving drone assaults from the Karen forces and airstrikes by the Myanmar navy, had subsided by midday Saturday in comparison with the morning, however Mae Sot police chief Pittayakorn Phetcharat mentioned he might nonetheless hear sporadic gunshots. He mentioned Thai authorities would transfer folks fleeing right into a safer space.
Footage from the Thai border confirmed Thai troopers sustaining guard close to the bridge with sounds of explosions and gunshots within the background. Folks with youngsters waded throughout the river with their belongings and had been acquired by Thai officers on the river financial institution. A number of are seen taking shelter in buildings alongside the river financial institution on the Myanmar facet.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin wrote on the social media platform X on Saturday that he was carefully monitoring the state of affairs on the border.
“I don’t need to see any such clashes have any affect on the territorial integrity of Thailand and we’re prepared to guard our borders and the security of our folks. On the identical time, we’re additionally prepared to offer humanitarian help if mandatory,” he wrote.
In March, Thailand delivered its first batch of humanitarian help to Myanmar for about 20,000 displaced folks.
Nikorndej Balangura, a spokesman of the Ministry of International Affairs, advised reporters on Friday that Thailand is presently working to increase its assist initiative.