Apr 30, 2021
MAE SARIANG, Thailand – Thousands of ethnic Karen villagers in Myanmar are poised to cross into Thailand if, as expected, fighting intensifies between the Myanmar army and Karen insurgents, joining those who have already escaped the turmoil that followed a Feb. 1 coup.
Karen rebels and the Myanmar army have clashed near the Thai border in the weeks since Myanmar’s generals ousted an elected government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, displacing villagers on both sides of the border.
“People say the Burmese will come and shoot us, so we fled here,” said Chu Wah, a Karen villager who crossed over to Thailand with his family this week from the Ee Thu Hta displacement camp in Myanmar.
Thousands of ethnic Karen villagers in Myanmar are poised to cross into Thailand on Friday if, as expected, fighting intensifies between the Myanmar army and Karen fighters, joining those who have already escaped the turmoil that followed a February 1 coup.
Karen rebels and the Myanmar army have clashed near the Thai border in the weeks since Myanmar’s generals deposed an elected government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, displacing villagers on both sides of the border.
“People say the Burmese will come and shoot us, so we fled here,” Chu Wah, a Karen villager who crossed over to Thailand with his family this week from the Ee Thu Hta displacement camp in Myanmar, told the Reuters news agency.
The Myanmar military responded with air strikes in several areas near the Thai border.
Thailand s foreign ministry spokesman said 2,267 civilians had crossed into Thailand as of early Friday since the latest round of conflict began. Thailand has reinforced its forces and restricted access to the border.
The inhabitants of two Thai villages close to the border have also been displaced, ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat told a briefing, with 220 people seeking refuge deeper in Thai territory for safety. The situation has escalated so we can t go back, said Warong Tisakul, 33, a Thai villager from Mae Sam Laep, a settlement, now abandoned, opposite the Myanmar army post attacked this week.
Asia PacificThousands of Myanmar villagers poised to flee violence to Thailand, group says
Panu Wongcha-um
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Villagers who fled Myanmar s Ee Thu Hta displacement camp rest in Mae Hong Son province, Thailand, near the border while fleeing from gunfire between ethnic minority Karen insurgents and Myanmar military, April 29, 2021. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
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Thousands of ethnic Karen villagers in Myanmar are poised to cross into Thailand if, as expected, fighting intensifies between the Myanmar army and Karen insurgents, joining those who have already escaped the turmoil that followed a Feb. 1 coup.
Karen rebels and the Myanmar army have clashed near the Thai border in the weeks since Myanmarâs generals ousted an elected government led by democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi, displacing villagers on both sides of the border.
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.