Thai Soldiers On Alert As Myanmar Border Clashes Enter Second Day

Mae Sot, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Apr, 2024) Thai armoured cars patrolled the town of Mae Sot Wednesday as the deep boom of artillery thundered across the border in Myanmar where the junta and an ethnic armed group fought for a second day near a vital trade hub.

Hundreds queued to enter Thailand at the immigration checkpoint in Mae Sot, many fleeing the latest round of fighting to rock Myanmar since the military seized power from a democratically-elected government in 2021.

Thai soldiers took up positions underneath the friendship bridge linking the town with Myanmar trade hub Myawaddy, the silhouettes of their counterparts from the Myanmar army visible across the sparse 200 meters of dirt and dried river dividing the nations.

And above the soldiers, hundreds walked across the friendship bridge and into the safety of the kingdom.

"I'm scared, so I decided to cross to the Thai side," Khu, 49, from Myawaddy, told AFP as she clutched her pet dog to her chest.

She said she had obtained a visa to remain in Thailand for seven days, but did not want to return until the fighting stopped.

A Thai soldier, beginning his watch as light fell and who declined to give his name, said the sounds of conflict were the most intense he had heard in fifteen years stationed in Mae Sot.

Jafal Sweardik, 14, had just crossed over with his family from near Myawaddy, where he said the sounds of artillery and gunfire had cast a shadow over the Eid festivities.

"It was horrible, very scary," he told AFP, adding he was looking forward to being reunited with family on the Thai side to share an Eid feast of curry and rice.