MAE SOT – When the fighting stopped in Myawaddy, Thailand’s Foreign Minister, the Minister of Defense, and the Minister of Interior arrived in Mae Sot today (April 23).
During the trip of the above three ministers, the governor of Turk District also accompanied them and told reporters that they are constantly monitoring the Myawaddy – Mae Sot border issue and that they are closely monitoring the security of the Thai-Myanmar border region.
The Thai ministers met and held discussions with officials from relevant departments in Mae Sot, and also visited the market next to the No. 1 Thailand-Myanmar Friendship Bridge and met and greeted residents.
During the trip, the ministers emphasized the issue of refugees fleeing the war to Mae Sot due to the fighting in Myawaddy City and expressed their responsibility to provide humanitarian aid.
During the arrival of the ministers in Mae Sot on the other side of Myawaddy, Royal Thai Air Force F-16 fighter jets patrolled the skies over Mae Sot and along the border between the two countries.
Fighting between the military council forces and the revolutionary forces at the No. 2 Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge checkpoint in Myawaddy started on the night of April 19th for about 36 hours, and the revolutionary forces temporarily retreated on the morning of April 21st. During the battles, the army of the junta council fired heavy weapons, dropping bombs from the air with airplanes. Civilians died due to helicopter attacks. Injuries also occurred. In addition, thousands of local people in Myawaddy had to flee the war to Mae Sot.
Currently, most of the displaced people have returned to their homes, but about 1,000 people are still in temporary relief camps in Mae Sot, local sources said.