 "Myanmar civil war: Soldiers turn tail, flee to Thailand after ethnic armed group seizes border base")
A group of Myanmar soldiers fled across the Thai border on Friday (March 14) after an assault by an ethnic armed group forced them from their base, Thailand’s military has said.
Myanmar has been gripped by civil war since the military seized power in a coup in 2021, facing resistance from an array of ethnic armed organisations and pro-democracy fighters.
Fighters from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) attacked the Pulu Tu frontier military base in the early hours of Friday, the Thai military said in a statement.
Myanmar’s soldiers turn tail
“The Myanmar military defended the base but ultimately the KNLA successfully seized control,” the statement said.
“Several Myanmar soldiers were killed and some fled across the border into Thailand.”
The Thai military did not specify how many troops had crossed into Tak province but said they had been “provided humanitarian assistance.”
A spokesman for the political wing of the KNLA, the Karen National Union, said its fighters took control of the base at about 3 am on Friday (2030 GMT Thursday), after Myanmar soldiers “abandoned their guns and ran into Thailand.”
Crucial trading hub
The Pulu Tu base is about 80km (50 miles) north of Myawaddy, a crucial trading hub that became a battleground last year between anti-junta fighters and the military.
The area is also notorious as a centre for Myanmar’s booming online scam industry, where thousands of foreign workers, many trafficked into the country, have been forced to participate in elaborate fraud schemes. In recent weeks, thousands of trafficked workers have been repatriated via Thailand under growing international pressure.
The KNLA, which has been fighting for greater autonomy for the Karen people along Myanmar’s southeastern border for decades, is one of dozens of ethnic armed groups that have proved to be some of the most effective forces resisting the military junta.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsWhile the junta has suffered significant territorial losses, analysts say it still retains control of Myanmar’s heartland and maintains an air force capable of inflicting heavy damage on its opponents.
In a bid to bolster its embattled ranks, the junta introduced a conscription order last year, requiring all men aged 18-35 to serve in the military.
With inputs from AFP
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