More than 5,000 people have fled from eastern Myanmar into Thailand in recent days as fighting between Myanmar’s army and armed resistance groups has intensified in the border area, Thai media and officials said Thursday.
At least 5,428 civilians, including more than 800 children, crossed the border by Wednesday night from Myanmar’s Myawaddy district to seek refuge in Thailand’s Tak province, public broadcaster Thai PBS reported, citing an unidentified security official.
It said they fled as ethnic rebels from the Karen minority, allied with guerrillas of the pro-democracy People’s Defence Force, attacked two Myanmar government outposts near the border.
The army’s regular soldiers are assisted by members of the Border Guard Force, composed of militias of ethnic minority groups allied to the military government.
Myanmar’s ethnic minorities have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades, but armed conflict in the country escalated sharply after Myanmar’s army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
Widespread opposition to the takeover shifted to armed resistance in many parts of the country as pro-democracy forces joined hands with several armed ethnic minority groups.
Clashes and air strikes along the border have triggered a sporadic exodus of Myanmar villagers into Thailand's border provinces, where they are often offered temporary refuge before being sent back home.
India has also seen streams of refugees from western Myanmar.