5,000 people forced to flee from Myanmar amid fierce fighting between the country’s military and armed rebels

As per media reports on April 6th, at least 5,000 people were forced to flee from Myanmar to Thailand due to fierce fighting between the country’s military and armed rebels. The clashes occurred after rebels attacked a military border guard outpost in the Karen state, which borders Thailand’s Tak province. The fighting in the Karen state outpost town of Myawaddy has been intense, and around 3,998 people have fled into Thailand’s temporary shelter across ten areas, according to Tak provincial officials.

The current situation in Myanmar has been tumultuous since the army toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in a coup in February 2021. The turmoil has forced civilians to flee across the nearby Thai border, as long-established ethnic rebel groups and dozens of People’s Defence Forces militias oppose the coup and frequently clash with the military.

A leader from the anti-junta Karen National Army confirmed the clashes and said around 2,000 people had been displaced and crossed the border to the Thai side. The military has been accused of targeting civilians in air strikes and ground operations, and according to a local group, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Myanmar’s military has used lethal force against its opponents, killing some 3,212 people and jailing over 17,000. However, the military denies targeting civilians and claims to be fighting ‘terrorists’ while blaming anti-coup fighters for the deaths of civilians.

Meanwhile, the officials in Tak have said local armed forces, police, and civil administration are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to send patrol flights if Thai airspace is violated. The Thai-Myanmar border command centre in Tak province is working together with relevant agencies to provide safety and assistance in accordance with humanitarian principles to all those who fled the fighting in Myanmar. A charity worker who requested anonymity told Reuters that many people have crossed the border, and some are still waiting on the Myanmar side, where they lack sufficient drinking water and toilets.