Thai border troops placed on alert as Mon rebels prepare attack

Troops deployed at the western Thai border with Myanmar have been placed on alert in anticipation of renewed fighting between Burmese government troops and ethnic-Mon rebels.

Fighting broke out a last week when a Mon National Liberation Army base in Ban Bor Yeepoon was taken over by Burmese troops. About 1,000 Mon refugees fled across the border into Kanchanaburi.

Shelters have been set up to for the refugees in Bang Songkalia in Village 8 and Wat Tao Tharn in Village 9. More than 1,000 are thought to have fled across the Thai border since last Wednesday.

A new group fled across the border yesterday on motorcycles and in pickup trucks after Mon soldiers announced an offensive to retake their base, according to local media. The commander of the Lat Ya Task Force at the Three Pagoda border checkpoint is reported to have ordered troops to be on the alert to prevent the fighting from spilling across the border into Thailand.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World