International Desk: The fight between the junta troops and various ethnic minority groups and insurgents has intensified in the northern part of Myanmar. Myanmar’s military has lost control of some military posts and installations to the insurgents in the fighting that has been ongoing for the past few weeks. Besides, thousands of the country’s residents have fled to neighboring India. Even more than 60 members of the Myanmar military have fled to Mizoram, India, unable to survive the fight with the rebels. In such a situation, Thailand has decided to take back the citizens trapped in the fight between the junta and ethnic rebels in Myanmar.
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand said on Sunday that more than two hundred Thai citizens trapped in the fighting between the military forces and the rebels in the northern part of Myanmar will be returned to the country. These citizens will be brought back from Myanmar, first to China, and then to Thailand.
Myanmar’s military has been at war with ethnic minorities and other insurgent groups in various parts of the country for the past few decades. But the 2021 military coup created unprecedented coordination among the country’s anti-junta factions. That is why the military faces the biggest challenge in fighting the country’s insurgent groups. Members of the country’s three ethnic minority groups launched a coordinated offensive against junta forces late last month.
Recently, the military has been attacked by rebels in some areas of the country. The insurgents attacked and captured several security posts and military installations. Myanmar’s military junta has ordered all government workers and those with military experience to prepare for emergency military service as insurgent attacks escalate.
The country’s shadow government, made up of pro-democracy politicians opposed by the army, has launched the “Road to Naypyidaw” operation in alliance with some rebel groups. They said that they started this operation with the aim of taking control of the capital.
A Thai Foreign Ministry statement said 266 Thai nationals, along with a number of Filipinos and Singaporeans, are being evacuated from Laukaeng in Northern Shan State to the Myanmar-China border with the assistance of Myanmar authorities. This group of foreigners will be allowed to enter China. They will then fly to Bangkok on two chartered flights from Kunming, China, where they will be scrutinized for their record of human trafficking and any criminal charges against them.
However, Thailand did not specify the time of the flight to repatriate its citizens from Myanmar. However, it has been reported that the team will reach the Chinese border on Sunday.
Source: Reuters.
