Myanmar’s oldest rebel force wants international help to establish a “no-fly zone” near the Thai border, after saying that there was a danger of clashes with the Burmese army resulting in civilians being targeted by airstrikes.
There has been an escalation in fighting between the army and the Karen National Union (KNU), prompting thousands of people to seek refuge in Thailand.
About 3,400 people have taken shelter in Thailand in the past few days, Thai authorities have said, adding that thousands more are stranded on the Burmese side of the border, waiting to cross.
Photo: AFP
In a statement released this week, the KNU warned of a “high possibility” of military airstrikes on civilians.
“These airstrikes won’t target military bases, but civilian bases as in schools, hospitals, houses and villages,” KNU foreign affairs department head Saw Taw Nee told Reuters, citing his experience from previous bouts of fighting.
A spokesman for the military junta did not answer calls seeking comment.
The KNU urged the international community to identify a no-fly zone by seeking an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Last month, the Security Council, in a rare statement that was agreed by its 15 members, expressed concern over violence in Myanmar and urged the military to exercise utmost restraint.
International efforts to end the conflict since a February coup have been limited to diplomatic initiatives and attempts to exert economic pressure through Western sanctions.
Since the military overthrew the civilian government led by Burmese state counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners has said that more than 1,300 people have been killed by the security forces.
The military has said that the figures from the monitoring group are exaggerated.
The KNU agreed to a ceasefire in 2012, ending an insurgency for self-determination that began soon after Myanmar gained independence in 1948, but its forces have been clashing with the army since the coup and it has allowed opponents of the junta to take shelter in territory it controls.
The latest fighting had been triggered by the army’s attempts to arrest people in the Lay Kay Kaw area, Saw Taw Nee said.
“They came and checked on the town, which we allow. However, they didn’t keep their promise and arrested people, which we totally don’t accept,” he said.
The KNU said that three of its fighters and 15 government soldiers had been killed in the clashes. Reuters could not independently verify the account.
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