refugees

A video taken today of refugees crossing from Myawaddy into Mae Sot. Now numbered at 5,000, they are shown being escorted by Thai military while walking up the highway from the border to a temporary location near town. The Burma Army issued an order to evacuate the town as fighting is expected to intensify, as both KNLA (Karen opposition) and splinter DKBA forces (the main DKBA is ceasefire, and allied with SPDC) battle the SPDC (gov't of Burma) there. There are now also reports of fighting farther south, at Three Pagodas Pass.

Not unexpected, by any means, but still a bit surreal, to see refugees spilling into the town where you live.



Update at 7pm from email I received from US Consulate General:
This message alerts U.S. citizens visiting and residing in Thailand that
fighting inside Burma near the Thai border has reportedly caused limited
injuries and damage inside Thailand. Americans are strongly advised to
avoid travel to and around the Thai-Burma border. On November 8,
fighting broke out in Myawaddy, Burma between elements of the DKBA and
the Burmese Army; several mortar and RPG rounds were reported to have
landed in Mae Sot, Thailand. In Mae Sot, about ten people were
reportedly injured and a store was destroyed. Several thousand Burmese
nationals crossed the border around Mae Sot seeking refuge in Thailand.
The circumstances that led to the clashes are unclear and the potential
remains for further violence. There are reports of fighting elsewhere
in Burma near the Thai border. The situation is fluid and unpredictable
both in severity and geographic extent.