Archive image — © AP
The Myanmar junta’s troops have withdrawn from the city of Myawaddy, on the border with Thailand. That’s according to the Karen National Union, an armed ethnic minority group.
According to a KNU spokesman, about 200 soldiers holed up on a bridge connecting Myawaddy with the Thai border town of Mae Sot. A Thai immigration official said that Myawaddy “fell” on Wednesday night. On Wednesday, hundreds of people were still waiting at the border to escape the fighting around Myawadday.
Myawaddy is an important border crossing between Myanmar and Thailand. According to the junta’s Ministry of Commerce, a billion euros worth of goods passed through the country in the past 12 months. Thailand and Myanmar share a border of 2,400 kilometers.
Myanmar has been plunged into civil war since the military’s coup on February 1, 2021. Several rebel groups have taken up arms against the military rulers. The civil war has intensified in recent months: rebels have advanced into regions that until recently were spared from violence.