Myanmar Town Falls to Resistance Forces 

Written by Lexi Dean | April 15, 2024

Town of Myawaddy

The Karen, Myanmar’s third largest ethnic group, took control of the border town of Myawaddy last week. Myawaddy, with a population of about 200,000, sits across the Moei River from the Thai city of Mae Sot. This town is a crucial trading outpost and a major economic hotspot for Myanmar with about $1 billion of trade going through it a year, according to Myanmar’s commerce ministry. Myawaddy has remained under government military control, and to counterbalance this, ethnic armed resistance organizations recognize the economic effect of threatening that power. Turmoil in Myanmar began when the 2021 coup removed the elected civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi from office. This turned into nationwide movements in which the generals who gained power during the coup began using force against the peaceful anti-coup protesters. Ethnic rebel groups, like the Karen National Union, began clashing and challenging Myanmar’s junta forces. 

Karen forces defeated the major military force in Myawaddy, and soldiers began withdrawing to the border to seek refuge in Thailand. The following day, the Karen collected many weapons left behind from the Infantry Battalion 275 garrison and a jet fighter dropped two bombs on the town. While there were no casualties from these strikes, the civilians of Myawaddy have expressed extreme concern about the military’s potential response to the situation. According to the Karen Peace Support Network, at least 2,000 people have been displaced by this conflict. Furthermore, hundreds of refugees crossed into Thailand from Myanmar just last week after the fall of Myawaddy. Thailand’s Foreign Minister claimed the country is prepared for the influx of refugees and can accommodate about 100,000 civilians temporarily. Thailand has taken a neutral stance on Myanmar’s intrastate violence, conducted aid deliveries, urged Myanmar’s military to stop the violence, and began working with and through ASEAN to create a peace plan. A possible Myanmar junta counterattack to regain Myawaddy will significantly intensify the fighting and push the country into further economic disarray.