About 200 Karen troops on Tuesday laid siege to a base of Myanmar soldiers. In response, Myanmar aircraft dropped four bombs on a Karen force. Thai people near the battlefield rushed to shelters.
The fierce battle between Karen and Myanmar soldiers continued on the third consecutive day as both sides tried to occupy a strategic location. The battlefield is near Thais’ farmland close to the Thai-Myanmar border. The villagers were shocked with explosions and took cover for fear of stray bullets. Many Thai villagers left the bordering area for their own safety.
In Ban Valley Tai village of Phop Phra district in Tak province, local residents hurriedly maintained their shelters because the community stands close to the battlefield.
Myanmar and Karen soldiers continued to use heavy weapons against each other. Their exchange of gunfire happened only about 400 meters from the border. Thai soldiers and administrators in Phop Phra temporarily closed a border road between Ban Valley Tai and Ban Mor Ker Thai villages for safety. (TNA)