Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – Several hundred ethnic Karen have crossed into Thailand as fears of fresh fighting between the Burmese Army and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) echo along the border.
Colonel Phadung Yingpaiboonsuk, Commander of the 4th Infantry Division of the Thai Army, has ordered military and administrative officials in Tak Province on the border of Karen State to look after 16 families, a total of 85 people, newly arrived in the Kingdom as asylum seekers. They are currently staying at Thammajarik Monastery and being provided with food and medical care in addition to 24-hour security.
The Thai Army is also preparing an emergency plan for local Thai villagers in case the fighting spills over the border. Other groups of Karen are reportedly sheltering in the villages of Tungtham, Nong Bua, Mae Salid and Mae Usu after hearing that Burmese Army and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) forces are preparing to attack the KNLA's 7th Brigade near Thasongyang District, west of Thailand. The battleground is a mere three to four kilometers from Thai territory.
An official in Tak Province revealed that the Thai military has reinforced its troops along the border with Karen State after fighting between the KNLA and Burmese Army affected local villagers in the area.
“The villagers have crossed the Moei River by long-tail boat at several points in Tak Province's Thasongyang District. Thai authorities will take care of them and provide humanitarian aid. However, it is possible that the fighting will become more serious," according to a report in the Thai newspaper Matichon on Friday.
The current military campaign kicked off in April of this year, pitting the Burmese Army and its ally the DKBA against the KNLA, the armed wing of the Karen National Union. The Burmese Army previously burnt down several buildings in Wah Lay Kee Refugee Camp after overrunning the base.
In April, the Thai Army twice submitted a Memorandum of Understanding in protest against the Burmese Army for discharging mortar fire that landed in Tak Province, injuring two Thai soldiers.
Additionally, about 200 Thai villagers from Phadee were temporality relocated for several days deeper inside Thai territory out of concern for their safety. Local authorities have since found a number of unexploded ordinances, including landmines, left in the village as a result of the fighting.
