Tak, February 27th, 2025 – the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) launched a drone strike and ground assault on Myanmar military positions in Hpa-An, Karen State, just 1 km from the Thai border near in Tak.
In response, the Myanmar military deployed an aircraft to drop three bombs on KNLA forces surrounding the Phlu Tu/1248 Hill base, forcing the Karen troops to retreat, according to Myanmar local media.
Amid the clashes, the Royal Thai Air Force scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to patrol the airspace and prevent any border incursions.
The fighting has driven around 100 Myanmar refugees across the border into Thailand, where Thai paramilitary forces in Mae Sot are providing humanitarian assistance.
Thailand remains carefully watching the situation as of press time. Myanmar has been embroiled in civil war between the ruling military junta and multiple armed factions for years now, with no sign of resolution any time soon.
This area has also been in the press recently for an ongoing attempt between Thailand, China, and Myanmar to stop ongoing scam and human trafficking operations as we have reported here.
Thousands of victims of human trafficking, allegedly forced into working for scam call centers, have been rescued so far from the area and some are also in refugee camps.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
