Myanmar Military Retakes Thai Border Town After Siege, Forcing 4,000 to Flee

Myanmar's military recaptured the Thai border trading town of Mawtaung on Tuesday after a two-week offensive, according to confirmation from resistance forces, with at least 4,000 civilians displaced amid the fighting. The Karen National Union (KNU), whose armed wing had held the town since November, confirmed the loss. KNU secretary Padoh Saw Ehna Doh told The Irrawaddy that resistance forces ceded control of Mawtaung on Tuesday. Myanmar state media reported the military lost control of Mawtaung in Tanintharyi Region in November but retook it on May 19 following a two-week counter-offensive involving more than 200 major and minor clashes, with at least 24 opposition fighters killed according to state reports. The junta acknowledged that some military members also died but provided no casualty figures. Regime forces deployed artillery and airstrikes during the offensive, and sources indicated the resistance withdrew due to overwhelming military firepower. Mawtaung is a relatively minor trading post that handled US$26.7 million in freight during the 2023-2024 financial year. The counteroffensive was reportedly triggered after 50 trucks carrying military reinforcements were dispatched to Thebyu village, 41 kilometers away, before three columns encircled the town. Aid volunteers reported that at least 4,000 residents from Mawtaung and nine surrounding villages fled their homes. The Myeik-Mawtaung border road, used to transport goods into Thailand's Prachuap Khiri Khan Province via the Singkhon checkpoint, had been closed since the KNLA captured the town in November. Although Mawtaung is not Myanmar's largest border crossing, its recapture holds symbolic importance in the ongoing civil war.