The Burmese border town of Myawaddy was on high alert again on Friday after fighting broke out a few miles away between the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and troops of the newly formed Border Guard Force (BGF) combined with units of the government army.
Schools closed early and shops shut after the fighting broke out early in the afternoon near Thinganyinaung, in Kawkareik Township, sources said.
The KNLA is the military wing of the Karen National Union, a rebel group that has been locked in conflict with the government for six decades.
The BGF, led by Col Chit Thu, currently controls Myawaddy after a bloody battle for the town earlier this month.
After the BGF warned Myawaddy residents that the current fighting could continue, the town went on high alert. It saw heavy fighting on Nov. 8 between government troops and a breakaway faction of the DKBA's Brigade 5, led by Brig-Gen Saw Lah Pwe.
Adding to the uncertainty in Myawaddy were rumors that Saw Lah Pwe and his 5th Brigade were planning an attempt to retake the town.
About 12 battalions of the BGF, led by Col Chit Thu, are stationed in Myawaddy town, along with a government force.
More than 20,000 residents of Myawaddy and outlying areas fled to Thailand to escape the Nov. 8 fighting. Most returned when the fighting died down.
Brigade 5, led by Saw Lah Pwe, is the only DKBA brigade that rejected the junta’s BGF plan. Tension between government troops and the faction has been mounting since then.
Sources on the Thai-Burmese border said Brigade 5 recently held a meeting in a secret location on the border with leaders of KNLA Brigades 6 and 7 and reached an agreement to provide military assistance to each other.
The meeting took place amid reports that the BGF and government troops were preparing an offensive against the three brigades.
As fighting for control of Myawaddy on Nov. 8 broke out, hostilities erupted further south, at the Three Pagodas Pass. The Brigade 5 headquarters there were captured and Saw Lah Pwe's home in Wah Lay was burnt down.
Source:
Schools closed early and shops shut after the fighting broke out early in the afternoon near Thinganyinaung, in Kawkareik Township, sources said.
The KNLA is the military wing of the Karen National Union, a rebel group that has been locked in conflict with the government for six decades.
The BGF, led by Col Chit Thu, currently controls Myawaddy after a bloody battle for the town earlier this month.
After the BGF warned Myawaddy residents that the current fighting could continue, the town went on high alert. It saw heavy fighting on Nov. 8 between government troops and a breakaway faction of the DKBA's Brigade 5, led by Brig-Gen Saw Lah Pwe.
Adding to the uncertainty in Myawaddy were rumors that Saw Lah Pwe and his 5th Brigade were planning an attempt to retake the town.
About 12 battalions of the BGF, led by Col Chit Thu, are stationed in Myawaddy town, along with a government force.
More than 20,000 residents of Myawaddy and outlying areas fled to Thailand to escape the Nov. 8 fighting. Most returned when the fighting died down.
Brigade 5, led by Saw Lah Pwe, is the only DKBA brigade that rejected the junta’s BGF plan. Tension between government troops and the faction has been mounting since then.
Sources on the Thai-Burmese border said Brigade 5 recently held a meeting in a secret location on the border with leaders of KNLA Brigades 6 and 7 and reached an agreement to provide military assistance to each other.
The meeting took place amid reports that the BGF and government troops were preparing an offensive against the three brigades.
As fighting for control of Myawaddy on Nov. 8 broke out, hostilities erupted further south, at the Three Pagodas Pass. The Brigade 5 headquarters there were captured and Saw Lah Pwe's home in Wah Lay was burnt down.
Source:
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