Myanmar’s military has intensified operations along the Thai border, pressing offensives against Karen resistance groups in Myawaddy Township as it seeks to secure vital trade routes ahead of a planned handover to a new regime.

Residents and local sources report heavy clashes around Falu, 16 kilometres south of Myawaddy town, where hundreds of junta troops backed by airstrikes are attempting to retake strategic positions from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allied People’s Defense Force fighters.

The Democratic Karen National Liberation Army (DKBA), a junta-aligned faction, is also active in the area, though its leadership fears losing bases if the regime consolidates control. Tensions have risen further since several Karen Border Guard Force battalions rebranded themselves as the Karen National Army in January, signalling a bid for greater independence from direct junta oversight.

Security in Myawaddy town, once jointly managed by the junta and allied Karen groups, has fractured. The military has demanded rosters and photographs of DKBA and KNLA-Peace Council fighters, warning that any attack on its Infantry Battalion 275—briefly seized by resistance forces in April 2024—would trigger shelling across the town.

Sources say reinforcements, including a convoy of 30 trucks and five armoured vehicles, have arrived in recent days. “They are pushing to consolidate control over Myawaddy and secure border routes up to Min Let Pan before a new administration takes office,” one resident told The Irrawaddy.

The junta plans to convene a new parliament in March and form a government in April following its staged election. On January 26, junta leader Min Aung Hlaing met Thailand’s outgoing ambassador in Naypyitaw, with talks focused on restoring cross-border trade, stabilising border areas, and tackling online fraud and drug trafficking.

For now, the fighting underscores the fragile alliances along the Thai-Myanmar frontier, where armed groups balance survival against the regime’s determination to tighten its grip on trade and territory.

-2026-02-03

On 2/3/2026 at 9:14 AM, geovalin said:

to secure vital trade routes ahead of a planned handover to a new regime.

Regime that will be controlled by the military?