Yangon: Residents and local media reported that fighting between ethnic minority rebels and Myanmar's military occurred on a main trade route to Thailand, causing traffic disruptions and forcing people to leave. Local media sources claim that around dawn, in the eastern Karen state town of Kawkareik, fighters from the Karen National Union (KNU) engaged in combat with the military.
Situated near the Asia Highway, the town connects Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, with the trading hub of Myawaddy on the Thai border.
A column of smoke billowed into the sky and about a dozen trucks pulled up were visible in the Kawkareik video that was shared online as people sought refuge.
A resident of Kyondoe, a town about 20km west of Kawkareik along the highway, reported hearing artillery fire from nearby military bases. “I saw jet fighters coming as well,” said the resident, who did not want to be named.
There are around a dozen armed ethnic minority groups in Myanmar. In response to the February 2021 coup that overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government, numerous "People's Defence Force" organisations have also emerged to oppose the junta. Alongside KNU soldiers, PDF fighters have participated in actions, including the attack on Kawkareik town last year.