Myanmar’s Karen guerrillas have seized a military base near the Thai border, raising the spirits of opponents of the occupying military authorities in the government.
According to a report in the Dawn newspaper, a guerrilla spokesman, a senior Thai official and a relief worker said the Myanmar army launched airstrikes on the Karen force-occupied village several hours later.
A spokesman for the Karen National Union (KNU), a central minority party fighting for independence from Myanmar, said its armed wing attacked at 5am and burned it until dawn.
The head of KNU’s foreign affairs, Pedo Satani, said the casualties were not yet known.
On the other hand, there was no immediate reaction from Myanmar’s ruling military.
Occupying the eastern part of Myanmar near the Thai border, KNU is a coalition of anti-government militias in the country, ousting Aung San Suu Kyi.
The armed wing of the KNU is called the Karen National Liberation Army.
A video released by Thailand shows smoke billowing from a government base on the banks of the Selvin River after heavy gunfire, separating the Myanmar River from Thailand.
A report by the Karen Information Center, a guerrilla website, said seven soldiers tried to escape in the area behind the Thai village of My Sam Lip.
Pedoman Mann of the KNL’s 5th Brigade, which attacked the Myanmar army, said the Myanmar army had carried out airstrikes before noon but was unaware of any casualties.
He said airstrikes were a serious war crime and called on the international community to restrain the military government.
Confirming the incident at a news conference, Sethi Chai Jundalaung, governor of Myanmar’s Mai Hongsun province, said Karen Gorillaz had taken over the Myanmar base.
He said a woman on the Thai side was injured in the blaze, but about 450 people were evacuated from the village of My Sam Leap.
It should be noted that on February 1, Myanmar’s military overthrew the country’s elected political government, and Aung San Suu Kyi, along with other politicians, has been arrested and is being tried on various charges.
Protests erupted across the country against the army’s action, which continues to this day, with the use of force by the forces so far, killing several protesters and injuring hundreds.
A secret parliament has been set up by a group of elected members of parliament, who are in hiding, in what they call the Piedongsu Huluto Committee (Chi RPH), which aims to condemn the military government.
