Over 500 Myanmar Civilians and Soldiers Flee to Thailand Amid Escalating Conflict

World News

Over 500 Myanmar Civilians and Soldiers Flee to Thailand Amid Escalating Conflict

4 months ago

News sources:

SCMP

INDIATIMES

DAWN

Over 500 Myanmar Civilians and Soldiers Flee to Thailand Amid Escalating Conflict

Credited from: AA

More than 500 civilians and soldiers fled Myanmar to Thailand following an attack by Karen ethnic fighters.
The conflict in Myanmar, ongoing since a 2021 military coup, has intensified amid ethnic resistance.
Thai military officials reported providing humanitarian aid to those who crossed the border.

Over 500 civilians and soldiers crossed into Thailand on Saturday in the wake of an attack by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) on a military base in Myanmar's Kayin state. The assault occurred around 3 PM local time, with Thai military sources indicating that 100 Myanmar soldiers and 467 civilians sought refuge across the border, where they were subsequently disarmed and provided with humanitarian assistance, according to South China Morning Post and India Times.

Reports indicate that the recent attack is part of a broader trend in Myanmar's ongoing conflict, which has roots in the military coup of 2021. The KNLA and various ethnic armed groups have mounted sustained resistance against junta control, leading to significant population displacement. Currently, around 81,000 refugees or asylum seekers from Myanmar are living in Thailand, as highlighted by Dawn and Anadolu Agency.

The impact of the conflict is further compounded by reports indicating that at least 30 individuals were killed in an unrelated airstrike targeting a monastery in Sagaing region, illustrating the widespread humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, according to information from Dawn and Anadolu Agency.