Myanmar Villagers Flee To Thailand As Border Clashes Rage
According to Thai officials, almost 2,500 Myanmar villagers have fled to Thailand due to ongoing hostilities between the Myanmar army and Karen National Union (KNU) militants.
Since a new wave of fighting began on Thursday, Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapat, deputy police chief in charge of security, stated yesterday that the number of Myanmar citizens seeking refuge in tambon Mae Tao in Tak's Mae Sot district had risen to 2,476.
He claimed that all police units have been told to work closely with security forces to beef up security along the Thai-Myanmar border and ensure that Myanmar villagers remain in the refugee camp.
Humanitarian aid is being provided, according to Pol Gen Kittiprapat, and the villagers are expected to return to their homes as soon as border tensions subside.
As a result of the confrontations, troops from the 14th Infantry have been dispatched to tighten up security along the border, while Thai villagers living near the border have been told to evacuate until the fighting ceases.
After two stray shells landed on Thai territory near residential settlements, Thai officials allegedly asked Myanmar forces in Myawaddy, adjoining Mae Sot district, to exercise caution.
After Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha called on agencies involved to be ready if conflict escalated, army spokesperson Gen Santipong Thammapiya said Myanmar residents were given assistance and the province has a reaction plan to deal with the inflow.
After combat between the military and the KNU erupted in Myawaddy on Thursday, the first wave of Myanmar villagers fled to Thailand. The original gunfight was said to have lasted many hours.
On Thursday, more than 1,000 individuals were said to have fled the first violence across the border to Mae Sot before being relocated to a shelter camp approximately 6 kilometers from the border for safety.
Many more have since followed, according to border reports, and the situation remained tense yesterday, with Myanmar security forces probing the area for insurgents hiding along the border.
Myanmar was thrown into chaos on February 1st when the military deposed a civilian administration led by Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking protests in cities and sporadic skirmishes between anti-junta militia and the army in the countryside.
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