Thai military step up patrols along Myanmar border as clashes continue

Thailand’s military tightened security on Wednesday along a western border town adjoining Myanmar, where anti-junta rebels continued to clash with a weakened military that has suffered a string of defeats in frontier areas.
Several Thai army vehicles, equipped with roof-mounted machine guns, patrolled the streets of Mae Sot, even as the sound of explosions and heavy fighting rang out from across the border in Myawaddy, four local residents said.
Two Thai military commanders told local media that fighting was ongoing around Myawaddy, a strategically vital trading outpost that was attacked by the Karen National Union (KNU) and allied anti-junta groups.