2,500 flee to Thailand as Myanmar army, rebels clash

BANGKOK • At least 2,500 people including hundreds of children have fled a flare-up in fighting between the Myanmar army and ethnic minority rebels and have taken refuge across the border in Thailand, said the Thai authorities and an aid group.

Those displaced had poured into the Thai town of Mae Sot after fighting broke out between the Karen National Union (KNU) and Myanmar's army in the past few days, Mr Somchai Kitcharoenrungroj, deputy governor of Thailand's western Tak province, told a news conference.

Myanmar was plunged into turmoil when the military ousted a civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb 1, triggering protests in cities and sporadic clashes in the countryside between anti-junta militia and the army.

There has been intensified fighting at times between the army and insurgent groups in Myanmar's border areas. These groups include the KNU, Myanmar's oldest rebel force, which has been seeking self-determination in a region of about 1.6 million people.

The KNU said in a post on social media that four Myanmar soldiers were killed and four injured in fighting on Wednesday.

Ms Suu Kyi, 76, was sentenced by a court to four years in jail for inciting dissent and breaching coronavirus regulations.

This was later reduced to a two-year term of detention, but the remaining charges she faces could still see her jailed for the rest of her life.

Ms Suu Kyi appeared in court yesterday wearing a white top and a brown wraparound longyi, - the typical uniform for prisoners in Myanmar - according to a source with knowledge of the court proceedings.

It was the first time she had been seen in a prison uniform in court and it was unclear if it signalled a broader change in how she and other senior officials on trial were being treated.

REUTERS