'THOUSANDS FLEE TO THAILAND AFTER MYANMAR ARMY'S AIR STRIKES ON VILLAGES'

  • 28/03/2021

About 3,000 villagers from Myanmar's southeastern Karen state fled to Thailand on Sunday following air attacks by the army on an area held by an ethnic armed group.Myanmar's military launched air strikes on five areas in Mutraw district, near the border, including a displacement camp, the Karen Women's Organization said.At least two soldiers from the Karen National Union were killed, said David Eubank, founder of the Free Burma Rangers, a relief organisation."We haven't had air strikes there for over 20 years," Eubank said. "Second, these were at night, so the capability of the Burma military has increased with the help of Russia and China and other nations, and that is deadly."


The air assaults are the most significant attack for years in the region. The KNU had signed a ceasefire agreement in 2015 but tensions have surged after the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government on February 1.The KNU and the Restoration Council of Shan State, also based on the Thai border, have condemned the takeover and announced their support for public resistance.

KNU says it has been sheltering hundreds of people, who have fled central Myanmar amid mounting violence in recent weeks.

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