Thousands flee into Thailand following Myanmar air strikes

Thai authorities alongside the nation’s northwestern border braced themselves on Monday for a attainable inflow of extra ethnic Karen villagers fleeing new airstrikes from the Myanmar army.
Myanmar army plane carried out three strikes in a single day on Sunday into Monday, in keeping with Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian aid company that delivers medical and different help to villagers. The strikes presumably injured one individual however induced no obvious fatalities, a member of the company mentioned.
Earlier Sunday, an estimated 3,000 folks crossed the river dividing the 2 nations into Thailand’s Mae Hong Son province following two days of aerial assaults.
Video shot that day reveals a gaggle of villagers, together with many younger youngsters, resting in a forest clearing inside Myanmar, having fled their properties. They carried their possessions in bundles and baskets.
In Sunday’s earlier assaults, Myanmar army plane dropped bombs on a Karen guerrilla place in an space on the Salween River in Karen state’s Mutraw district, in keeping with staff for 2 humanitarian aid companies.
Two guerrillas have been killed and lots of extra have been wounded in these assaults, mentioned a member of the Free Burma Rangers.
On Saturday night time, two Myanmar army planes twice bombed Deh Bu Noh village in Mutraw district, killing not less than two villagers.
The assaults might have been retaliation for the Karen National Liberation Army, which is combating for higher autonomy for the Karen folks, attacking and capturing a authorities army outpost on Saturday morning.
According to Thoolei News, an internet website that carries official data from the KNU, eight authorities troopers together with a second lieutenant have been captured within the assault and 10 have been killed, together with a lieutenant colonel who was a deputy battalion commander. The report mentioned one Karen guerrilla had been killed.

The pressure on the frontier comes because the leaders of the resistance to final month’s coup that toppled Myanmar’s elected authorities are searching for to have the Karen and different ethnic teams band collectively and be a part of them as allies, which might add an armed ingredient to their battle.
The airstrikes mark an escalation within the more and more violent crackdown by the Myanmar authorities in opposition to opponents of the February 1 army takeover.
At least 114 folks throughout the nation have been killed by safety forces on Saturday alone, together with a number of youngsters “a toll that has prompted a UN human rights expert to accuse the junta of committing mass murder” and to criticise the worldwide group for not doing sufficient to cease it.
The Security Council is prone to maintain closed consultations on the escalating state of affairs in Myanmar, UN diplomats mentioned Sunday, talking on situation of anonymity forward of an official announcement.

The council has condemned the violence and known as for a restoration of democracy, however has not but thought-about attainable sanctions in opposition to the army, which might require assist or an abstention by Myanmar’s neighbour and buddy China.
The coup, which ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected authorities, reversed years of progress towards democracy after 5 a long time of army rule. It has once more made Myanmar the main focus of worldwide scrutiny as safety forces have repeatedly fired into crowds of protesters.
As of Sunday, not less than 459 folks have been killed because the takeover, in keeping with the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which has tallied deaths it was in a position to confirm. The true toll is regarded as larger.