Myanmar Conflict Intensifies
The civil war that started in Burma the year before last has not yet subsided. On the 3rd of March, Thailand's foreign minister declared that if the conflict in Burma continues to escalate, there is a danger that refugees will be displaced, and that Thailand is ready to set up refugee shelters on the Thai-Burma border.
On February 1, 2021, the Burmese military staged a coup d'état, seizing elected power and imprisoning democracy icon Ong San Suu Kyi. People in various parts of the country rose up in protests and demonstrations, and the military and government cracked down, igniting a conflict that has never subsided. In October of this year, local armed forces and the military government in northern Burma resumed fighting, the most intense conflict since the coup, and there has been no sign of a cease-fire to date.
Bangkok Post reports that Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara has called for a ceasefire and the opening of dialogues between the two sides, further stating that he will keep a close eye on the developments in Myanmar, and that there will not be an influx of refugees at this point in time, but that once the war intensifies, the refugees are likely to be dispersed, and that Thailand is already prepared to set up refugee shelters on the Thai-Myanmar border.
Clashes between the Burmese military government and local armed forces in Myanmar's Myawaddy region, near Mae Sot district in Tak, have left traders and trucks traveling between the two countries stranded on the border. Prasarn Saengsirirak, commander of the Thai army's Third Army Region, said the situation in Burma had not yet affected Thailand, but that humanitarian aid would be provided if refugees crossed the border.
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