11-4-2024 (BANGKOK) Approximately 200 Myanmar military personnel retreated to a bridge linking the border town of Myawaddy to Thailand on Thursday following continuous assaults by anti-junta rebels in the region, as reported by an ethnic armed group spokesman and local media sources.
Myanmar’s military-led government is engaged in battles with armed rebel factions on various fronts, experiencing a series of setbacks particularly in frontier regions.
The withdrawal of junta forces in Myawaddy, situated adjacent to Thailand’s Mae Sot, suggests the potential loss of yet another crucial border trading point with direct highway access to central Myanmar.
According to Saw Taw Nee, spokesperson for the Karen National Union (KNU), the leading anti-junta group orchestrating the attack on Myawaddy, around 200 retreating soldiers were observed gathering at a border crossing into Thailand on Thursday.
Reports from the local news outlet Khit Thit indicated that Thai authorities were in discussions with these soldiers to determine whether they would be granted refuge.
Despite attempts to reach out, a spokesperson for the Myanmar junta did not provide any comment.
Last week, the KNU announced that its troops had launched an assault on a junta camp near Myawaddy, resulting in the surrender of approximately 600 security personnel and their families.
Meanwhile, border crossings in the area remained open for civilians, leading to a significant influx of people from Myanmar into Thailand, as confirmed by Pol Col Borwornphop Soontornlekha, Superintendent of Immigration in Thailand’s Tak province, where Mae Sot is situated.
Colonel Nathakorn Rueantip, commander of the Ratchamanu special unit responsible for securing the Tak border with Myanmar, reported that the last stronghold of Myanmar government troops in Myawaddy was under attack.
He emphasized that the primary focus of his unit was to ensure the safety of Thai citizens and their property, along with providing humanitarian assistance to refugees. Colonel Nathakorn added that any fleeing soldiers encountered would be disarmed promptly.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin underscored on Thursday that any fighting near the Myanmar border must not spill into Thailand’s airspace.
According to the Karen Peace Support Network, at least 2,000 individuals have been internally displaced within Myanmar due to the recent escalation of hostilities between rebel forces and the military.
Since seizing power in a coup in 2021, Myanmar’s military has faced significant challenges from a coalition of ethnic rebel groups and civilian militia movements, resulting in a series of setbacks in various regions across the country.
