Thousands flee into Thailand after fighting between Myanmar military, rebels

Fierce fighting between the Myanmar military and armed ethnic rebels has forced about 5,000 people to flee across the country’s border into Thailand this week.
According to reports in Thailand’s Khaosod English newspaper and BBC Burmese, the clashes broke out when rebels in the southern Karen state attacked a military border guard outpost.
Myanmar’s military government, which overthrew an elected government in a 2021 coup, is grappling with armed insurgencies in large areas of the country and has faced global condemnation for its lethal crackdown on dissent and pro-democracy movements.
According to Thai officials and an aid worker, about 5,000 people, many of them women and children, had crossed into Thailand’s Tak province, and taken refuge in temporary shelters set up by local residents.