Hundreds of Myanmar troops, civilians flee across Thai border

BANGKOK: More than 500 civilians and soldiers fled conflict in Myanmar and crossed into Thailand on Saturday after an assault by ethnic fighters on a military base, the Thai army said.

Myanmar has been mired in civil conflict since a military coup in 2021, with the junta battling a coalition of ethnic armed groups and pro-democracy resistance forces.

Saturday’s attack by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) targeted a military base in Kayin state at around 3 pm local time (0800 GMT), Thailand’s military said in a statement.

“The Myanmar soldiers attempted to resist and called for supporting firepower to defend their position but were ultimately unable to hold the line,” it said.

One hundred Myanmar soldiers and 467 civilians had crossed into Thailand on Saturday, where Thai military and police disarmed them and provided treatment and humanitarian aid, officials said.

Thai forces have ramped up patrols along the border in western Tak province to prevent what officials described as a potential “violation of sovereignty by foreign armed forces”.

Saw Thamain Tun, a leader of the KNLA’s political wing, confirmed there had been fighting near the border and said that joint forces had “seized some front posts” from the army.

“Some (Myanmar troops) defected to our joint forces, but some of them ran into Thailand,” he told AFP.

Armed groups from the Karen ethnic minority have long challenged the military and now play a key role in resisting junta control over border zones.

Myanmar’s civil war has caused huge waves of population displacement, with 81,000 refugees or asylum seekers from the country currently living in Thailand, according to United Nations figures.

The KNLA has been fighting for decades to establish greater autonomy for the Karen people living along Myanmar’s southeastern flank.