Myanmar: More troops flee into India after rebel attacks

At least 29 more Myanmar soldiers entered India on Thursday fleeing an attack by insurgents on their military base close to the Indian border, an Indian police official said, as rebels step up their assaults against the ruling junta . Earlier this week, 43 Myanmar soldiers entered India’s Mizoram state after their military bases were overrun by the rebels. Nearly 40 were sent back by Indian authorities through a different border crossing point a few hundred kms east. Myanmar’s military has battled ethnic minority and other insurgencies for decades but a 2021 coup has brought unprecedented coordination between anti-military forces that are mounting the biggest challenge to the army in years. After the junta claimed “heavy assaults” in many locations, Tin Maung Swe, secretary of an administrative council in the nation’s capital, Naypyitaw, stated on Thursday that the military rulers of the country had instructed all government employees and those with military expertise to be ready to serve in an emergency. The junta’s council issued an order stating, “If necessary, such a unit might be required to go out and serve for natural disasters, and security.” A “Road to Naypyitaw” campaign has been launched by a parallel administration, founded by pro-democracy politicians to challenge the military and linked with some insurgent organisations, with the stated goal of seizing control of the capital. The military is reportedly under “heavy assaults from a significant number of armed rebel soldiers” in Shan State in the northeast, Kayah State in the east, and Rakhine State in the west, according to Junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun late on Wednesday. According to Zaw Min Tun, rebels have been utilising drones to dump hundreds of bombs on military checkpoints, forcing the evacuation of several military positions. The junta spokeswoman declared, “We are taking immediate action to effectively protect against drone bomb attacks.” (With agency inputs)