Fighting at the Mae Sot/ Myawaddy border

[KTMphil]

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Heavy fighting erupted between the Burma Army and a Karen rebel group, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), around noon on Saturday on the outskirts of Myawaddy and dozens of residents are fleeing their homes to escape the violence, local residents and rebel sources said.

Fighting began near the town on the Burma-Thai border at around 11 am and lasted until about 1:30 pm. Heavy weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) were fired, according to witnesses.
An official from the Border Guard Force (BGF), a government-commanded Karen militia in Myawaddy, told The Irrawaddy, “DKBA troops fired RPGs at a Burmese army military vehicle when it came into the town. Then they started to exchange gunfire. It is still going on [at 1 pm] at the Asia highway.”
The nearly completed super highway, locally known as the Asia Highway, connects Myawaddy with Rangoon.
Maj. Saw Zorro, a liaison officer of the Karen National Union (KNU), the largest ethnic Karen armed group with a base in Myawaddy, confirmed that gunfire was exchanged around noon and that some residents who live nearby the fighting areas fled.
“Some local residents fled their homes to hide as the fighting broke out. We heard the government troops are now blocking the road that leads to the fighting area,” he said.
According to the KNU official, government forces blocked the road around 1 pm and residents shut their shops and left their homes. An area of the road between Myawaddy and Thingya Nyi Naung village has been closed off by the Burma Army.
One resident who runs a small restaurant on the Asia Highway near Myawaddy said on Saturday, “They fired heavy weapons. It’s frightening. It happened just outside my shop. We shut down my shop and are now going to Myawaddy town [for safety].”
Thailand’s Channel 7 showed video footage on Saturday afternoon of dozens of Myawaddy residents fleeing the fighting and crossing the bridge over the Moei River that separates Burma and Thailand.
When The Irrawaddy contacted police in Myawaddy town for comments an officer confirmed that clashes had occurred but refused to elaborate the detail, saying that the police are trying to observe the incident.
On Friday, in central Mon State’s Kyaikmayaw Township, DKBA forces had also fought with government forces. The rebels detained eight soldiers and police officers at their base, and injured two soldiers in an exchange of fire. On Saturday, reports from the area suggested that fighting had continued at Kyaikmayaw Township.
In recent weeks, tensions have been rising between government forces and Karen rebel groups operating in the border town of Myawaddy, Karen State, despite the fact that the groups have bilateral ceasefire agreements with the government.
The situation worsened after a number of small explosive devices were found in Myawaddy and the Burma Army ordered the rebels not to enter the town when armed. On Sept 19, the military shot and killed a DKBA soldier after he supposedly was drunk driving on a road outside of Myawaddy.
The Karen National Union (KNU), the largest Karen rebel group, has managed to stay out of the rising tensions.
Additional reporting by Kyaw Kha.




Credit: http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/breaking-news/heavy-fighting-erupts-near-myawaddy-residents-flee-homes.html

 

[KTMphil]

From Karen News:


[h=2]Deadly Fighting Breaks Out Between Burma Army and Karen Armed Groups - Border Crossing Closed[/h]


Residents of the Burma border town of Myawaddy toldKaren News that fighting broke out at Aung Shwe Bo section between government soldiers and Karen armed groups.
A woman resident said, "fighting took place at Aung Shwe Bo section where both the Burma Army and BGF [Border Guard Force] are based. [Burma] army had now shut down all road access during the day time."

Residents said that the fighting broke out after mortar shells were launched into the Aung Shwe Bo area - where the government troops and its militias, the BGF have army camps.
At the time of writing, Karen News is led to understand that it has not been confirmed which Karen armed group had fired the mortar shells.
Due to the insecurity, Myawaddy residents said they were terrified and shops in the area had closed.
A major trade crossing between Thailand and Burma - the Friendship Bridge that links Mae Sot to Myawaddy - had been closed for security reasons.
To add to the complexities of the situation sources from the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army said that yesterday, a group of their soldiers had been attacked by the Burma Army in territory under the control of the Karen National Liberation Army 6th Brigade.
The DKBA source said that fighting had also occurred between its troops led by Captain Kaw Gyi and the Burma Army in Kyaikmayaw Township in Mon state. The fighting resulted in four Burma Army soldiers killed and 13 wounded. It was confirmed that two porters under the control Burma Army were captured together with 15 weapons.
On September 18, a DKBA soldier was shot dead and another injured after the Burma Army opened fire at a truck driven by the DKBA soldiers that refused to stop for questioning.
Tension is high not only between the Burma Army and DKBA, but there are reports that an office of the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army - Peace Council (KNU/KNLA-PC) in Myawaddy, under the command of Colonel Tiger was shut down and taken over by the Burma Army.
Tensions have increased between government troops and the Karen armed groups - namely the DKBA and the KNU/KNLA-PC led by Colonel Tiger after the Burma Army issued an order banning the two Karen armed groups from wearing uniforms and carrying weapon in urban areas.