Hundreds of people evacuated as Myanmar airstrikes struck near the Thai border
Thousands have invaded Thailand and escaped the latest violence between Myanmar troops and KNU.
A Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thailand was concerned about violence affecting Thai people along the border. (Reuters Archive)
Myanmar troops carried out more airstrikes in rebel-controlled areas near the Thai border. This is the recent intensification of violence in which hundreds have fled to Thailand.
The Karen National Union (KNU) said the military had launched at least two airstrikes and fired several shells late Thursday in a controlled area near the Thai-Myanmar border.
Reporter Reuters of Mae Sot, a Thai border town about 10 miles from the alleged location of the bombing, heard several explosions Thursday evening around 11:00 pm local time.
A spokesman for the Myanmar junta did not answer the phone for comment.
According to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than 4,200 people have invaded Thailand since the outbreak of new fighting between Myanmar troops and KNU last week and the onset of violence. Civil society groups say the number of refugees is as high as 10,000.
KNU spokesman Saw Taw Nee said the airstrikes repeatedly evacuated more civilians in the area and called on the international community to establish a no-fly zone in the area.
read more: Myanmar’s rebel groups demand no-fly zones in the face of intensifying clashes
Concerns
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military expelled the civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, causing protests and sporadic clashes in the countryside between rebel militias and the army. ..
Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said in a press conference on Friday that Thailand was concerned about the recent violence in Kayin State, which also affected Thais living along the border.
Several diplomatic missions to Myanmar, including the EU, Britain and the United States, issued a joint statement on Friday calling for the end of “indiscriminate attacks” by the military in Kayin State and elsewhere.
“Recent attacks on Kayin State civilians, including village bombardment, are a violation of international humanitarian law and must be stopped,” they said.
read more: Hundreds of people seek security in Thailand after Myanmar’s junta clashes with rebels
Source: Reuters
https://www.trtworld.com/asia/hundreds-more-displaced-as-myanmar-airstrikes-hit-near-thai-border-52967?utm_source=other&utm_medium=rss Hundreds of people evacuated as Myanmar airstrikes struck near the Thai border
