More than 3,000 Burmese flee to Thailand after junta attacks in southeastern country

June 16 (EUROPA PRESS) –

More than 3,000 citizens from Burma have fled to the neighboring country after attacks carried out on Tuesday by members of the military junta that has ruled the country since the February 2021 coup in the state of Kayah, in the southeast of the country.

Volunteers and human rights activists have indicated in statements to the Thai media that the refugees especially need food, and have confirmed that most of them have fled after the artillery attack on the town of Maese.

The attack in question occurred after a series of clashes between the military and members of the resistance forces in the area, such as the Karenni Army and the People’s Defense Forces, according to information from the Irrawaddy news portal.

These rebel groups had previously attacked three Army bases in that town and a police station. The citizens of these areas, however, have had to quickly abandon their homes due to the lack of security.

The director of the Karenni Organization for Human Rights, Ko Banyar, has estimated that 3,400 residents have had to flee and has stressed the importance of offering them “emergency care.”

“There are not enough shelters for all of them,” he asserted, while the Thai authorities have indicated that they are offering help to 3,342 people.