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Karen rebel forces attack stranded Myanmar junta troops on Thai border

April 21, 2024/in News

Junta sends in airstrikes to support 200 junta troops trapped by a river across from Mae Sot. Gunfire, artillery and exploding bombs could be heard early Saturday around Myawaddy, a Myanmar city on the Thai border across from Mae Sot, as an ethnic Karen army closed in on about 200 junta troops stranded near a […]

Carnage Follows Amnesty in Myanmar: Four Prisoners Shot Dead, 12 Injured

April 19, 2024/in News

Four inmates were shot dead and 12 more were injured after security forces opened fire on prisoners protesting inside Kachin State’s Myitkyina Prison on Thursday, Kachin media reported. Prisoners were protesting the junta’s amnesty the day, which saw 3,303 prisoners released nationwide to mark Myanmar’s traditional New Year, before they were shot. Only 101 of those who […]

Karen rebel forces attack stranded Myanmar junta troops on Thai border

April 21, 2024/in News

Carnage Follows Amnesty in Myanmar: Four Prisoners Shot Dead, 12 Injured

April 19, 2024/in News

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Karen rebel forces attack stranded Myanmar junta troops on Thai border

April 21, 2024/in News

Junta sends in airstrikes to support 200 junta troops trapped by a river across from Mae Sot.

Gunfire, artillery and exploding bombs could be heard early Saturday around Myawaddy, a Myanmar city on the Thai border across from Mae Sot, as an ethnic Karen army closed in on about 200 junta troops stranded near a bridge between the two countries, according to the Thai military and a Radio Free Asia reporter on the scene.

The clash comes after the Karen National Liberation Army, an armed branch of the Karen National Union, on April 10 captured most of the junta’s Infantry Battalion 275 stationed outside of Myawaddy.

But 200 junta soldiers were left stranded at the customs compound at the No. 2 Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge across the Moei River that links the two countries.

The setback is the latest in a series of battlefield losses suffered by the junta as various rebel groups push the military back across the country amid the country’s three-year civil war that was sparked by the junta’s coup in February 2021.

The clashes started at 3 a.m. on Saturday, Thai soldiers keeping watch along the river and local residents said. The fight centered around the customs house at the bridge as the rebels apparently were intent on wiping out the remaining junta troops, they said.

“The KNU opened the charge first, the junta troops fought back,” a Thai soldier who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity told RFA.

Residents are transported in trucks in Mae Sot, Thailand, as fighting intensifies between rebel and junta forces April 20, 2024. (Pimuk Rakkanam/RFA)

Several days ago, the junta announced “Operation Aung Zeya,” aimed at retaking Myawaddy, a key city on a major trading route with Thailand.

As the sun rose Saturday morning, the Myanmar Air Force deployed several sorties of Y-12, MiG-29 and MI-35 attack helicopters amid periodic exchanges of gunfire. Some residents at the bridge watched the planes with binoculars as a few stray rifle bullets whistled by, prompting them to duck.

Smoke billowed into the sky following each artillery shell and bomb explosion.

The casualties on both Karen and junta soldiers as well as civilians were not immediately known.

Smoke billows after a junta MiG-29 jet struck a Karen position in Kayin, Myanmar, as seen from Mae Sot, Thailand, April 20, 2024. (Pimuk Rakkanam/RFA)

An ambulance was seen driving in and out of the neighborhood near Thailand’s Yepu Hill overlooking the casinos in Myawaddy.

Several hundred people — mostly from Myanmar — working near the river were moved by truck to a livestock ranch a few kilometers north of the No. 2 bridge for safety. Thai authorities gave them food and medical services. Residents also brought aid to a checkpoint near the shelter. Most media were not allowed to enter the camp

Thailand’s foreign ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation with Thai security agencies on the ground on high alert.

“Thailand has been and will continue to provide further humanitarian assistance if necessary and will do our utmost to ensure the situation along the Thai-Myanmar border area returns to normalcy,” Nikorndej Balankura, the ministry spokesman said in a statement.

RFA News

Carnage Follows Amnesty in Myanmar: Four Prisoners Shot Dead, 12 Injured

April 19, 2024/in News

Four inmates were shot dead and 12 more were injured after security forces opened fire on prisoners protesting inside Kachin State’s Myitkyina Prison on Thursday, Kachin media reported.

Prisoners were protesting the junta’s amnesty the day, which saw 3,303 prisoners released nationwide to mark Myanmar’s traditional New Year, before they were shot. Only 101 of those who received conditional amnesties on Wednesday were political prisoners.

Staff at Myitkyina Prison first used sling shots to fire projectiles at the prisoners protesting for fairness in the amnesty. The prisoners responded by tossing stones at prison staff, according to Kachin media reports that cited sources closed to the Myitkyina prison department.

Later, prison security forces fired bullets at the protesters, killing four prisoners and injuring 12 more, the Kachin News Group reported.

Prison staff transported the dead and wounded to a hospital on Thursday evening, reports said.

Prisoners are demanding that prison officials take action against security personnel who opened fire on them, for their rights to be protected and for prison amnesties to be fair, Kachin media reports say.

Prisoners are also demanding that no action be taken against those who were not killed in the crackdown.

On Wednesday, around 40 inmates from Myitkyina Prison were released in the amnesty.

They included former Kachin Baptist Convention president Dr. Hkalam Samson. Samson was, however, taken back into custody by junta troops before dawn on Thursday, He was rearrested along with his wife, an official and member of the Kachin Peace-talk Creation Group, according to sources close to the family.

Samson was arrested at Mandalay International Airport by junta troops in December 2022 while waiting to fly to Thailand for medical treatment. In a closed trial, he was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of unlawful association, state defamation and terrorism.

In late March, at least 17 inmates, mostly political prisoners, were injured during a brutal crackdown on unrest at Pyapon Prison in Ayeyarwady Region’s Pyapon Township, according to the Political Prisoners Network-Myanmar.

Irrawaddy News

Spring Revolution

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Recommendations to ASEAN and Its Member States (1) Move beyond the 5PC to achieve a Myanmar people-led and people-centered solution to the crisis in Myanmar. ASEAN’s “Myanmar-owned and -led” approach must be backed by genuine political will that aligns with and supports the collective aspirations of the people of Myanmar. (2) Cease all pressure on […]
The Airstrikes after the journey to the China of the Junta Military LeaderDecember 10, 2024 - 1:28 pm
Operation 1027 was a coordinated military attack against the junta on October 27th, 2023. It was carried out by the Northern Brotherhood, which includes the Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. Several months later, the Three Brotherhood Alliance held three meetings to negotiate with China on January 11 […]
Human Rights Situation weekly update (September 15 to 21, 2024)September 27, 2024 - 8:26 am
Human Rights Violations took place in States and Regions from Sep 15 to 21, 2024 Military Junta Troop launched airstrikes and dropped bombs in Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Shan State, Chin State, Rakhine State, and Kachin State from September 15th to 21st. The Military Junta committed arresting, occupying the properties, threatening by using power, and […]

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ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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