Situation in Myanmar border town seized by Karen rebels ‘normalising’
Life was returning to normal in Myanmar’s border town of Myawaddy on Friday as fighting between junta troops and Karen rebels subsided, according to a security source.
On Thursday, Karen National Union (KNU) forces announced they had taken full control of the town after junta troops withdrew to the No 2 Friendship Bridge linking with Mae Sot on the Thai side of the border.
The security source said the Karen National Army or KNA (formerly the Border Guard Force) is currently negotiating a truce with the junta so that both sides can benefit from trade through the border checkpoint.
The truce agreement would leave allied Karen forces in control of the two Friendship Bridges to Thailand while trade revenue would be shared with the junta, the source said.
The Myawaddy-Mae Sot crossing is Thailand’s second-largest border trade hub after Sadao in Songkhla, recording 106.83 billion baht in trade last year.
Myawaddy fell to the KNU and allied forces after more than 600 junta soldiers surrendered following attacks on their bases in and around Myawaddy.
Residents of Mae Sot five kilometres away say they witnessed junta MiG-29 jet fighters conducting airstrikes over the border on Wednesday. The strikes prompted the Royal Thai Air Force to send two F-16 fighter jets to patrol the airspace above Mae Sot.
Around 200 junta soldiers have fled to the No. 2 Friendship Bridge for refuge.
The junta told BBC Burmese on Thursday that it was in talks with the Thai government over their fate.
Thai media reported fighting in Kawkareik town, 40 kilometres west of Myawaddy and Mae Sot, on Thursday. However, the security source said clashes there had been ongoing for months and would not impact on cross-border trade.
