Thousands flee Myanmar airstrikes, complicating crisis
MAE SAKOEP, Thailand (AP) — Thai soldiers began sending back some of the thousands of people who have fled a series of airstrikes by the military in neighboring Myanmar, people familiar with the matter said Monday. But Thai officials denied that as the insecurity on the border added a new dimension to an already volatile crisis set off by a coup in Myanmar.
The weekend strikes, which sent ethnic Karen people seeking safety in Thailand, represented another escalation in the violent crackdown by Myanmar’s junta on protests of its Feb. 1 takeover. On Saturday, more than 100 people were killed in and around demonstrations throughout the country — the bloodiest single day since the takeover.
The violence by the Myanmar military — both on the border and in cities around the country — raised the question of whether the international community would respond more forcefully than it has thus far to a coup that ousted the government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and reversed years of progress toward democracy.
In response to reports of people fleeing the airstrikes, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha had said earlier Monday that the country didn’t want “mass migration” but that it was preparing for an influx of people and would take human rights issues into consideration.
https://apnews.com/article/myanmar-border-airstrikes-thousands-flee-2035dae56e9ee2556a1d7b6805731372
