Rebel fighters in Myanmar say they have repelled a government attempt to take back Myawaddy on the border with Thailand. The Karen National Liberation Army, which seized the key town last week, says the danger has now passed.

Myawaddy

Rebel fighters in Myanmar have reportedly thwarted a government effort to reclaim the town of Myawaddy, situated on the border with Thailand. The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), which took control of this strategic location last week, has declared that the immediate threat from government forces has been effectively neutralized. The KNLA's successful defense of Myawaddy underscores the ongoing conflict and instability in the region.



Myanmar rebels say they repelled Army push to take back Myawaddy

Soldiers from the Karen Army's Cobra Column set alight the flag of Myanmar in the border town of Myawaddy. In its place, they hoist the colours of the Karen National Union, confident this new territory is firmly under their control. There are no worries about the junta returning. Since we received the news of their advance column, we've been vigilant and we fought them. They managed to destroy one tank and three transport trucks. And the Myanmar military suffered injuries and retreated. Parts of the town have suffered badly after six weeks of intense fighting. In the wreckage of Brigade 275, the military's last stand, the spoils of war. But the Karen leadership keen to stress this is a victory shared amongst all the resistance groups. We need unity and then we make it step by step with the other nation and then we work together with other groups by coordinating attacks to the military. The military junta appear to be on the back foot. Even the annual Armed Forces Day parade took place under the cover of darkness this year. And where they found division amongst the ethnic armies in the past, now there seems to be unity. Myanmar is a very diverse country and some people look at diversity as a weakness in our revolution, but actually diversity is strength. Thai armed forces remain on high alert. Their primary concern is that violence doesn't spill across the border. For decades the town of Myawaddy has existed in a very fine power balance. On the one side the ethnic armies, on the other the military. Across the border, Thailand, generating huge income from trade. But even the fighting hasn't stopped that. Duty free alcohol and cigarettes on sale from bootleggers in Myawaddy. Boxes of beer passed across the rolls of razor wire. Tony Cheng, Al Jazeera, on the Thai-Myanmar border.

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