Some said they feared airstrikes by the Myanmar military after rebels seized Myawaddy, a town of about 200,000 people across the Moei River from the Thai city of Mae Sot.
“That’s why I escaped here. They can’t bomb Thailand,” said Moe Moe Thet San, a Myawaddy resident who was standing in line at a border checkpoint with dozens of people in the heat. She crossed the border with her young son.
Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara said on Friday his government was preparing for a wave of refugees and he called on Myanmar authorities to reduce violence.
Satellite image of the Myawaddy area. Photo: Reuters/OSM
Myawaddy was taken over by the Karen National Union (KNU) rebel group on Thursday, and Mr Parnpree said Thailand was considering alternative trade routes if the road was closed due to fighting.
A group of nearly 200 Myanmar soldiers who withdrew from their base near the Thai border earlier this week remain in the area. “They have to lay down their weapons and change into civilian clothes before we allow them to cross the border,” Mr Parnpree said.
Local media reported that the group of soldiers sheltering near a bridge was attacked by drones deployed by rebel groups late on Friday.
Security in the area was tightened after the attack, with armed Thai soldiers patrolling the river and sealing off some areas under one of two bridges over the Myawaddy, a Reuters witness said.
Senior General Zaw Min Tun’s spokesman told Myanmar media that some of their soldiers had left the base because they were with their families. He said negotiations were ongoing with Thailand.
Thailand, which says it remains neutral in the conflict in Myanmar, could take in up to 100,000 displaced people, including providing aid.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since 2021, when the military staged a coup and overthrew the government. Armed ethnic minority rebel groups then challenged the military across Myanmar.
Mai Van (according to Reuters)
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