Soldiers Secure Border School on First Day Amid Daily Explosions
Heavily armed soldiers guarded a Mae Sot border school on the first day of term as daily explosions and clashes continue in nearby Myanmar.
Tak: Heavily armed soldiers deployed to secure teachers and students on the first day of term at a border school in Mae Sot district, an area at risk of stray bullets amid daily explosions near the frontier. 2 Nov 2026 – Tensions along the Thai-Myanmar border continue to escalate with no sign of easing. Throughout the night, Myanmar's 22nd Light Infantry Division kept fighting resistance forces in multiple clashes, using drones to drop large bombs on opposition positions holding the Chinese Project 2 base near the U-Dong monastery entrance, Min La Pan village, Myawaddy township, Kayin State, Myanmar — directly opposite Ban Huai Maha Wang, Moo 9, Maha Wan subdistrict, Mae Sot, Tak, about 0.5 km from the border. Clashes are expected to continue all day with alternating heavy and light phases as both sides adjust tactics after heavy casualties. On the Thai side, the Royal Thai Air Force dispatched two F-16 fighters to patrol and protect Tak's border airspace, their roar reassuring local residents.
This morning at Ban Mae Kon Ken School, Moo 9, Maha Wan subdistrict, Mae Sot, Tak, the first day of the new term saw the school entrance guarded by soldiers from the Ratchamanu Task Force, Pha Muang Force, 35th Infantry Regiment, 346th Border Patrol Police, and the 3rd Mae Sot District Territorial Defence Volunteer Company, all fully armed and in rapid deployment gear, providing security for teachers and the 333 students from kindergarten to Grade 9 brought by their parents. The school briefed students on emergency procedures for unexpected situations, as the school has previously been hit by stray bullets and heavy weapons crossing the border multiple times. Currently, Ban Mae Kon Ken School has several well-constructed concrete-reinforced bunkers across all classroom buildings, and regular war evacuation drills ensure all staff and students know what to do when the emergency alarm sounds.
Parents dropping off their children said they remain uncertain about the fighting in the neighbouring country but do not want their children to miss education. They have some confidence in the school's safety due to the security personnel on site and the prepared bunkers, and are ready to collect their children immediately if violence escalates. Heavy artillery and weapons fire continues to echo from multiple locations in Myanmar opposite the Tak border, where Thai officials have now deployed armed forces to strictly defend Thai sovereignty.
