India, Thailand face looming refugee crisis as Myanmar violence sparks fears of civil war

Name: Ethnic Karen people fleeing Myanmar-military airstrikes reportedly pushed back by Thai soldiers
Uploaded: 2021-03-30T10:59:37.000Z
Duration: 2 min 42 s
Description: Ethnic Karen people fleeing Myanmar-military airstrikes reportedly pushed back by Thai soldiers

New Delhi and Bangkok have refrained from criticising the generals, and have had to counter accusations they are ignoring the plight of Myanmar’s people

With more armed ethnic groups supporting the anti-coup movement, experts warn a civil war could spill across borders

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Soldiers walk towards anti-coup protesters during a demonstration in Yangon. Photo: AP

Jitsiree Thongnoiin BangkokandSonia Sarkarin New Delhi

Published: 6:59pm, 30 Mar 2021Updated: 9:21pm, 1 Apr 2021

India and Thailand are bracing for an influx of refugees along the borders they share with Myanmar, as the junta’s air strikes and violent crackdowns against the anti-coup movement fuel fears of a civil war that could spark a bloody crisis across international boundaries.

Almost two months after the Myanmar military – known locally as the Tatmadaw – overthrew the democratically elected government on February 1, the death toll of protesters killed by security forces has gone past 500.

New Delhi and Bangkok – which were among the eight foreign representatives in attendance at the junta’s Saturday commemoration of the resistance against Japanese occupation in 1945 – have held back from criticising the generals, and have had to counter accusations from activists at home that they are ignoring the plight of Myanmar’s people.

In India, a social media uproar castigating Delhi ensued after the government of the northeastern state of Manipur, which borders Myanmar, issued a note instructing district officials to “not provide any food and shelter” to refugees, ban civil society groups from doing the same, and only provide assistance to those who are injured and require medical help.

In Thailand, activist groups on Monday accused the government of pushing back more than 10,000 villagers from Myanmar’s southeastern Kayin state, home to the Karen ethnic community, after multiple air strikes over the weekend.

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Ethnic Karen people fleeing Myanmar-military airstrikes reportedly pushed back by Thai soldiers

The bombings were seen as retaliation against the Karen National Union (KNU)’s military branch, the Karen National Liberation Army – one of Myanmar’s many armed ethnic groups that are seeking greater autonomy for their communities. The group had earlier attacked and captured an outpost belonging to the military, killing 10 soldiers.

Mark Farmaner, head of Burma Campaign UK, said thousands of people had been forced to return to the Ee Thu Hta displacement camp on the Myanmar side of the border. Thai NGO Friends Without Borders Foundation said some 8,000 civilians had fled into the jungle to hide, while another 3,000 had crossed the Salween river into Thailand’s northwestern Mae Hong Son province.