TAK – The Royal Thai Air Force dispatched two F-16 fighter jets to patrol over Mae Sot district in Tak province for more than 30 minutes on Wednesday to protect Thai airspace.
This happened after Thai villagers heard sounds of fighting in Myawaddy Township in Myanmar between the Karen National Union (KNU), the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the People’s Defense Force (PDF) and the Burma Army’s Battalion 275 Pha Song camp. This camp is the last stronghold of the remaining Burmese soldiers.
Local sources reported on April 10 that the attack by the anti-junta groups on the military camp caused fires in several areas around the site of the clash and caused black smoke to rise over Myawaddy town.
However, the resistance forces failed to capture the Pha Song camp as they were met with retaliatory fire from MiG-29 fighter jets, which dropped bombs that caused loud explosions that could be heard throughout the Thai-Myanmar border area.
At the Mae Sot 1 permanent border crossing, which is opposite the Myawaddy 1 permanent border crossing, artillery fire could be heard continuously throughout Myawaddy town, prompting villagers to hurriedly pack their belongings and flee their homes.
Most villagers walked across the Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge 1 to the permanent border crossing 1 in Mae Sot, causing traffic congestion on the Thai side and filling the area with large numbers of Myawaddy residents queuing to apply for temporary border passes to legally enter Thailand.
Ko Aung, a 35-year-old Myawaddy resident, said he and many other Myawaddy families had to make the difficult decision to leave their homes and cross the Myawaddy border to stay with relatives in Mae Sot district, Tak province.
The reason for this is the uncertainty about the situation after the fighting, which could spread to the Myawaddy town area at any time. The villagers therefore hurried to cross the border for their own safety. Many other residents of Myawaddy have not yet evacuated and are waiting to see how the situation develops overnight before making a decision.
Meanwhile, the fighting at Pha Song camp, 275 Myawaddy battalion, was reported to have claimed a large number of injured people on both sides throughout the day, but the exact number is unknown.
At the same time, soldiers from the Ratchamanu special unit, Mae Sot District Administration and the 346 Border Guard Police in Mae Sot District, Tak Province, along with armed vehicles and grenade launchers and armored vehicles, were deployed to secure the border along Mae Sot District at all points. They have also been instructed to increase their presence and armament in the area of the Friendship Bridge 1 between Thailand and Myanmar.
Panpree Phahitthanukorn, Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated in an interview on April 9 that if the situation worsens, the government has set up an assistance plan that will allow around 100,000 people to seek temporary shelter. And if there are more than 100,000 individuals arriving, those in charge of the of the agencies have indicated that they are prepared to proceed.
“We have also contacted other countries to assist because Thailand is not in a position to act alone,” he added.
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