Thousands of people are ready to flee to Thailand new Conflicts due to violence

The Thai Foreign Ministry said 2,267 civilians from Myanmar had crossed into Thailand early Friday since the conflict began in the final round.

Thousands of Karen residents of Myanmar are ready to move to Thailand on Friday, as expected as fighting escalates between the Myanmar army and Karen fighters, joining those who fled the aftermath of the February 1 coup.

Karen rebels and the Myanmar army have been fighting near the Thai border for weeks after Myanmar generals ousted the elected government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, displacing citizens on both sides of the border.

“People say the Burmese are coming to shoot us, so we escaped here,” Chu Wah, a Karen villager who passed through the Ee Thu Hta displacement camp in Myanmar this week to Thailand’s displacement camp, told Reuters.

“I had to flee across the river,” Chu Wah said, referring to the Salween River, which forms the border.

The Karen Peace Support Network says thousands of people are being sheltered in the Salween area of ​​Myanmar and will flee to Thailand if fighting escalates.

“In the coming days, more than 8,000 Karen across the Salween River will have to flee to Thailand. We hope the Thai army will help them escape the war, ”the group said in a Facebook post.

Karen fighters defeated a Myanmar army unit west of Salween on Tuesday in a pre-dawn attack. According to Karen, 13 soldiers and three fighters were killed. The Myanmar military responded with airstrikes in several areas near the Thai border.

Restricted border access

A spokesman for the Thai foreign ministry said 2,267 civilians had crossed into Thailand early Friday since the conflict began in the final round. Thailand has strengthened its forces and restricted access to the border.

Residents of two Thai villages near the border have also relocated, ministry spokeswoman Tanee Sangrat said in a statement, with 220 people seeking refuge deeper into Thai territory for security reasons.

“The situation has worsened so we cannot back down,” said Warong Tisakul, a 33-year-old Mae Sam Laep, a neighbor of Thailand, in the weekly settlement of Myanmar Army, which has been suspended this week.

“Security officials won’t let us. We can’t back down.”

“Myanmar’s thousands of ethnic Karen citizens are ready to move to Thailand if, as expected, fighting between the Myanmar army and Karen’s rebels escalates.” “People say the Burmese are coming to shoot us, so we ran away here.” https://t.co/hjMLTqCDZG pic.twitter.com/NBxBbLHUO3

– Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) April 30, 2021

Clashes in the North

Tough clashes are also taking place in northern Myanmar between government forces and Kachin fighters.

The media has reported that there have been heavy casualties among government troops in recent days, but a spokesman for the Kachin Independence Army armed group said it could not confirm any data.

“There will be dead fighting on both sides,” spokesman Naw Bu said by phone.

Karen, Kachin and many other armed groups have come out in support of the pro-democracy protesters who have taken to the streets against the return of military government in towns and cities across the country.

Security forces have killed at least 759 protesters since the coup, the activist group The Association of Political Prisoners said. Reuters cannot confirm the victims’ toll.

The military has confessed to the deaths of some protesters, who died after the violence began, he says. The military says several members of the security forces were killed in the protests.

Meanwhile, several social media posts reported that several other youths had been taken by the security forces without an arrest warrant on Friday.

Protests for democracy on Friday continued across the country, including the country’s largest city, Yangon, and Mandalay.