Thailand tries to rescue 162 nationals trapped in Myanmar

Thailand is trying to bring home 162 of its nationals trapped in Myanmar by a surge in clashes between junta troops and ethnic minority insurgents near the border with China, officials said.
The effort to rescue Thais from chaos in neighbouring Myanmar comes after at least 30 Thais, most of them farm workers, were killed during the Oct. 7 rampage by the Hamas militants in southern Israel. Sixteen Thais were wounded and 17 are among hostages taken by the Palestinian militants.
Heavy fighting erupted last week in northern Myanmar’s Shan State where an alliance of ethnic minority forces battling for self-determination launched a series of coordinated attacks on junta positions.
Myanmar’s ruling military says it has lost control of several towns on the border with China, including Chinshwehaw on the border with China’s Yunnan province.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has told the embassy in Myanmar to work with authorities to get the Thais to safety, his office said on social media, adding that the Thais and other nationals were “stuck” because of the fighting.