Thai authorities say they scrambled fighter jets after a Myanmar fighter jet entered Thai airspace. 

The aircraft was said to be attacking an ethnic minority group on the Myanmar side of the border. 

The Thai Air Force deployed two F-16 jets for combat reconnaissance in the border area, Phob Phra District, Tak Province, after a military aircraft was detected flying over the border, the Royal Thai Airforce reports 30 June.  

People in Thai villages and schools in the vicinity are reported to have been evacuated, AP reports.  

Air Chief Marshal Prapas Sonjaidee, spokesman for the Air Force, said that today at 11:16 a.m., the Air Force has reported an unknown aircraft detection. Flying over the border in Phop Phra District, Tak Province, then attacking ethnic minority forces near the border and flying over the border into Thailand before the target faded from the Thai Air Force surveillance radar system later. 

A Myanmar helicopter was also detected about five miles away from the border in the area, but it did not cross the border.  

The Thai border authorities alerted the Air Force Attaché of the Royal Thai Embassy in Yangon and other agencies to warn the Myanmar government and to find ways to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future 

The Thai Royal Air Force will continue to closely monitor the situation. to monitor events and potential impacts in the area including the areas along the border, 24 hours a day to protect the sovereignty and safety of the Thai people, the statement said. 

Fighting has intensified in a number of ethnic areas of Myanmar in the wake of the 2021 military coup. The fighting has sent waves of refugees from Myanmar fleeing into Thailand over the last few months. Typically, the refugees are sent back when the fighting dies down.