Neighbor Thailand is preparing for thousands of refugees from Myanmar

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Thailand's Premier, General Prayuth Chan-ocha

Photo: ATHIT PERAWONGMETHA / REUTERS

The military has held power in Myanmar for two months.

After a coup, the civilian government was overthrown, demonstrators have been severely persecuted ever since, and hundreds have already been shot.

Now Thailand is preparing for a wave of refugees from its neighboring country because of the ever escalating violence in Myanmar.

"We do not want an exodus on our territory, but we will also respect human rights," said Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha in Bangkok.

The general took power even after a military coup, and since 2014 he has led Thailand as the head of a junta.

Prayuth, too, allows uprisings to be prosecuted with great severity.

"Please, let this be an internal problem," he said now, looking at Myanmar.

How many asylum seekers the Thai government expects, Prayuth left open.

"We have prepared an area, but how many - we don't talk about it." In the protest of the people of Myanmar against the military coup on February 1st, ethnic groups and their militias play an increasing role.

Thousands flee after bombing

On the weekend, for example, there was heavy fighting between the Myanmar military and the Karen National Union (KNU) near the border with Thailand.

The KNU is the oldest ethnic minority militia in Myanmar.

Around 3,000 villagers fled to Thailand when the military bombed an area where members of the Karen people live and the KNU is active, media and activists reported.

The KNU had previously overrun a military outpost and killed ten people.

Tens of thousands of Karen people had fled to Thailand before and lived there for decades in refugee camps.

On Sunday, fighters from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) attacked a police station in northern Myanmar.

The military responded with air strikes, local media reported.

Both the KIA and the KNU have pledged their support for the protest movement against the coup and called on the military to end violence against civilians.

At least 114 dead after the demonstration on Saturday

Protests also broke out on Monday in Myanmar's largest economic metropolis, Yangon, and in other cities in the country.

According to media reports, a man was killed by security forces in Yangon.

Several other demonstrators were injured when security forces shot, reported the "Democratic Voice of Burma".

The police and the spokesman for the military government could not initially be reached for comment.

Small protests were held in the central cities of Bago, Minhla and Khin-U.

According to media reports, people gathered in Mawlamyine in the south and in Demoso in the east to demonstrate against the coup of February 1 and for a return to democracy.

There were initially no reports of violence from there.

The military cracked down on demonstrators on Saturday, killing at least 114 people, including children

mrc / AP / Reuters