FIERCE fighting sparked anew after ethnic rebel groups targeted stranded junta forces on the Thai-Myanmar border.
Military forces were forced to withdraw and surrender their weapons earlier this month after ethnic rebel groups seized control of Myawaddy, Myanmar’s vital trade hub situated near Thailand’s border.
Some soldiers had taken shelter under a bridge connecting Myadwaddy to the Thai town of Mae Sot during the previous clashes.
After the fall of Myawaddy, the residents experienced a few days without fighting and explosions.
However, the situation became tense again on Saturday after ethnic rebel groups attacked the stranded junta forces.
Myawaddy is strategically important to Myanmar’s military. More than $1.1 billion worth of trade passed through it from April 2023 to April 2024.
Fighting between the junta forces and ethnic rebel groups became more intense after Myanmar’s military, known as Tatmadaw, launched a coup against the civilian government in February 2021.
The new round of clashes in Myanmar forced at least 200 civilians to flee to neighboring Thailand.
