Thousands of Myanmar Refugees Flee into Northern Thailand

According to the Thai military, over 4,400 Myanmar nationals have fled into the country since last Thursday to escape clashes between government soldiers and an armed ethnic minority group.

The government has been tasked with providing temporary shelters and humanitarian aid to refugees as fighting escalates between Myanmar’s ruling military and the Karen National Union in south-eastern Kayin State.

Myanmar’s local media reported that military troops raided the town of Lay Kay Kaw last week and arrested dozens of people. This included the national league for democracy members who had taken refuge there.

According to a KNU statement, the group responded with force the next day, as it had to “engage in self-defence measures to counteract the acts of aggressive arrests, destroying houses, and violent attacks.”

Read: Myanmar Military Accused Killing and Burning 11 Villagers

After decades of conflict, the KNU and the military-backed civilian government reached a ceasefire agreement in 2015, bringing peace to border areas under its control.

As a result of the military ousting Suu Kyi’s elected government in a coup on Feb 1, the KNU has made it clear it supports those protesting against the military and taken in youths who fled, providing them with training to fight back.

Military aircraft raided an area controlled by the KNU in March, forcing thousands of people to flee and seek refuge in Northern Thailand’s Tak province.