2,500 People Flee to Thailand Amid Fighting Between Myanmar Forces, Anti-Junta Groups

[webfact]

Myanmar villagers rest in an evacuation area in Tak province after fleeing to Thailand amid clashes between Burmese junta troops and an ethnic Karen rebel group, Dec. 17, 2021.

 

Nontarat Phaicharoen
Bangkok

 

Thailand is giving shelter to some 2,500 Burmese who fled from fighting between Myanmar junta forces and Karen rebels in Mae Htaw Thalay, a borderland village in Myawaddy township, Thai authorities said Friday.

 

The influx began on Thursday when around 700 Myanmar residents crossed into Mae Sot, a district in Tak province, followed by hundreds more on Friday morning, officials said. Some of the people fleeing from the fighting swam to the other side of the frontier across the narrow Moei River, the Tak Province Border Center said in statements issued Friday.

 

“[W]e found another 1,800 Myanmar people crossing to the Don Chai temporary shelter, lifting the number to 2,500 people,” a statement said, referring to a village 500 meters [546 yards] from Mae Htaw Thalay village on the Myanmar side of the border.    

 

Full story: https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/thai/2500-burmese-karen-flee-to-thailand-12172021132614.html

 

-- © Copyright Benar News 2021-12-18

 

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[nobodysfriend]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand is giving shelter to some 2,500 Burmese who fled from fighting between Myanmar junta forces and Karen rebels in Mae Htaw Thalay, a borderland village in Myawaddy township, Thai authorities said Friday.

At least they show some ' djai dee ' .

In the end this is what counts .

[timmyp]

If the attempt to overthrow the government grows stronger, then we will see far more refugees fleeing Myanmar. As now-violent uprising continues, the various ethnic groups in Myanmar will turn against each other, and we will see a massive increase in refugees. 

 

Whatever you may think of Saddam Hussein, is Iraq better off now? Whatever you think of Gaddafi, is Libya better off? Same question for Assad in Syria. Looking at the migrant crisis that followed the fall of those regimes, are the people of Europe happy with the results?  Myanmar faces the same chaos that continues to rage in the Middle East, and what we are seeing with the flow of refugees from Myanmar described in this article is only a tiny part of what will follow.

[brucegoniners]

You better keep them contained or the Covid will rage. 

[Enzian]

When I was in Mae Sot in April we went down to the river, and the bridge was closed. We didn't even get out of the SUV because while there were people around the base of the bridge, they were careful to stay out of sight of anyone on the other side because the Burmese soldiers over there were in the habit of taking potshots at anyone who got too close. 

So it is almost certain that the 2,500 who reached the Thai side did so with the implicit permission and probably help of those soldiers. This is the same as what is happening in Europe. Countries like Ukraine, Libya, et al., are sending migrants toward Europe deliberately, with various motives. 

[bangon04]

9 hours ago, brucegoniners said:

You better keep them contained or the Covid will rage. 

guess how many border crossings from Myanmar are not contained......