The resurgence of fighting in southeastern Burma between the junta and rebel groups has caused the displacement of many civilians, particularly to neighboring Thailand, several sources told AFP on Tuesday.
Clashes have erupted in recent days in Karen State, near Kyondoe and the border town of Payathonzu, the latest examples of the civil strife that is tearing the country apart.
"Scary Scenes"
Dozens of People's Defense Forces (PDF) groups have swarmed into Burma to fight the junta after the February 1, 2021 military coup that toppled civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has since been detained.
A Myanmar military source reported drone attacks, attributed to rebel militias, on an army command site near Kyondoe "
a few days ago
".
"
The soldiers responded with intermittent artillery fire to deter them
," the source said, without elaborating.
A resident of Kyondoe (pop. 5,000) described "
scary
" scenes during the gunfights that lasted "
all night
".
"
Thousands of residents have left the city, as well as the surrounding villages
," he said on condition of anonymity.
In Payathonzu, 180 km away, on the border with Thailand, the armed forces of the rebel Karen ethnic group attacked several official buildings on Monday evening, including those belonging to the immigration and military intelligence services.
“
They fired into the city for half an hour and burned down these offices
,” said a resident, who requested anonymity, who sought refuge with his family in Thailand.
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About a thousand people fled the violence, according to another resident.
“
We heard that the Thais had opened the border for half a day, but they left it open because more and more people were passing through
,” he described, without wanting to give his identity.
A Thai military spokesman could not be reached for comment.
The clashes have killed more than 2,800 civilians since the coup, according to a local situation-monitoring group.
The junta, which accuses the rebels, counts for its part at least 3900 civilians killed.
The post-coup violence has caused an influx of displaced people into Burma, estimated at more than one million people by the United Nations last June.
