Natpyidaw: Resistance forces seeking to oust Myanmar’s military regime captured a key trading town on the Thai border this week, one of their most significant gains since the junta seized power in a coup more than three years ago. But thousands of residents were fleeing as the regime’s troops prepared to mount a counteroffensive.
The town, Myawaddy, which is now held by rebels belonging to Karen ethnic group, is a hub for imports and exports, with $1 billion in trade last year. Its fall comes as resistance forces have seized dozens of towns and military outposts in recent months in border regions near China and Bangladesh.
Residents stood in lines for hours at the southeastern border with Thailand as they sought safety in the Thai town of Mae Sot before the junta launches its expected counteroffensive. Thai officials have said they will take as many as 100,000 refugees. Kyaw Zaw, a spokesperson for the National Unity Government, a shadow civilian govt formed after the 2021 coup, said the junta’s loss of Myawaddy was a significant financial setback and exposed army’s growing vulnerabilities, dealing “a psychological blow.”
The Thai govt has expressed concern that the conflict could disrupt trade with Myanmar and that violence could spill over the border. Its foreign minister said that Thailand could act as a broker to mediate the conflict and that it had urged the junta not to attack Myawaddy.
