Resistance forces seeking to overthrow Myanmar's military junta seized a major trading city on the Thai border this week, in one of its biggest gains since the junta seized power in a coup more than three years ago. became. But on Friday, thousands of residents were being evacuated as regime forces prepared to counterattack.
Myawaddy, a town currently held by Karen rebels, is an import and export center, with trade worth $1 billion last year. Its collapse comes as resistance forces have seized control of dozens of towns and military outposts in border areas near China and Bangladesh in recent months. Rebels have also used drones to attack the capital Naypyitaw and military bases where top military generals were visiting.
“Myanmar's main border trading hub, the gateway to mainland Southeast Asia, has fallen to the rebels,” said Anthony Davis, a security analyst at Bangkok-based military publication group Jane's. “This is big.”
Administration spokesman General Zaw Myint Hung declined to respond to repeated calls from The New York Times. But he admitted to BBC Burma Broadcasting on Thursday night that junta forces had evacuated from their main base in Myawaddy and that fighters from two resistance groups, the Karen National Liberation Army and the Karen National Army, had a “presence” in the town. Ta.
Residents of the Thai town of Mae Sot queued for hours at the southeastern border with Thailand on Friday, seeking safety before the military junta launched an expected counteroffensive. Thai authorities have announced they will take in up to 100,000 refugees.
“I don't think the Myanmar military will give up control of Myawaddy easily,” said Ma Khin Lai Nge, 33, who was waiting in line at the bridge over the Moei River that connects the two border towns. Told. “I fear that even if they do, they will ignore and destroy civilian lives because they see the people as the enemy.”
She noted that the military bombed towns in Shan state in November and December after resistance forces captured them. On Thursday, regime planes dropped bombs near a rebel-held army base on the outskirts of Myawaddy.
“I decided to flee to Mae Sot because I was afraid of being caught in the crossfire or bombing,” said Ma Khin Lai Nge. “Right now, survival is our priority.”
Since the 2021 coup, armed ethnic groups and pro-democracy rebels have formed a broad coalition to fight the military regime, with success on the battlefield. In a sign that the junta's military resources are depleting, the regime announced in February that it would begin enforcing a decades-old conscription law.
Kyaw Zaw, a spokesman for the Government of National Accord, the shadow civilian government established after the 2021 coup, said the loss of Myawaddy to the junta was a major financial setback and exposed the military's growing vulnerability. He said the incident caused a “psychological blow.”
Mr Davis, the security analyst, said the junta had little choice but to try to retake Myawaddy after a series of recent defeats and was preparing for what could be its biggest counterattack since the coup.
“The credibility of the regime is now firmly in jeopardy,” he said.
He said the Tatmadaw, known as Myanmar's military, is equipped with armored vehicles, aircraft and a multiple rocket system with a range of 45 miles. But there is little experience with combined weapons operations of the kind that other countries use to launch such attacks.
The Karen National Liberation Army, which has been fighting the Tatmadaw for decades, knows the terrain well and is expected to dig roads and set ambushes to slow its advance.
“They are not your typical guerrilla force,” Davis said of the Karen National Liberation Army. “They are well-armed, but more importantly, they are experienced and well-organized.”
“Whether it's a battle on the way to Myawaddy or a battle in Myawaddy, this is going to be very bloody,” he added.
The Karen National Liberation Army, the military wing of the Karen National Union, and its allied forces routed regime forces from the town and surrounding areas during four days of fighting, said Phado Saw Taw Nyi, a spokesman for the Karen National Union. said.
Nearly 500 regime soldiers and officers surrendered during the fighting outside the town, and about 200 more were trapped in Myawaddy, near the river opposite Mae Sot. Mr Soe Taw Nee said his soldiers had wanted to seek refuge in Thailand but had not received entry permits.
Soldiers were also seen lounging near a second bridge over the river, holding weapons.
One resident, Ma Ei Tu Zar, 32, said she heard loud explosions and heavy weapons fire all night on Wednesday as fighting intensified. The town has been peaceful and the streets quiet since Myawaddy was captured early Thursday morning.
Ko Myo Khan, 34, a restaurant owner in Myawaddy, said government offices, banks and many shops were closed. He said soldiers and police from the junta have disappeared from the streets and been replaced by soldiers from the Karen National Liberation Army and its allies.
“There doesn't seem to be a military regime here,” he said. “As a civilian, I can say that Myawaddy has been taken over by the Karen National Union and its allies.”