Border-hopping Myanmar troops cause alarm
published : 13 Sep 2023 at 08:11
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Aekarach Sattaburuth
Fair Party list-MP Kannavee Suebsang has asked the government to investigate reports of heavily armed Myanmar soldiers crossing the border into Umphang district of Tak province.
If the reports are confirmed, the government must tell the public what happened, he said.
Citing information from activists working in the Thai-Myanmar border area, Mr Kannavee said that between 80 and 100 armed Myanmar soldiers entered Thailand through two border villages, Ban Le Tong Khu and Ban Mo Ta Lua, on Sept 3.
The soldiers camped out in a field, just a kilometre away from the nearest Thai community, while on the other side of the border, a Myanmar village was surrounded by the Karen armed guerrillas, he said.
Thai villagers later told their village head about the presence of Myanmar soldiers on Thai soil, he said.
Thai soldiers stationed nearby refused to do anything about the invaders until a netizen posted on social media on Sept 5 about the presence of the soldiers, he said.
A source said the army sent a team to negotiate with the Myanmar soldiers and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), until the KNLA agreed to stop blocking the soldiers’ way.
The Myanmar soldiers, however, still refused to leave, which prompted the Thai military to negotiate with them for a second time before the Myanmar soldiers eventually left.
The following weekend, villagers spotted a further 10 to 20 armed Myanmar soldiers returning to Ban Le Tong Khu to buy food, which prompted more reports to the village head.
The village head reported the incident to the Thai military which sent soldiers to negotiate and ensure the soldiers’ return to their own territory, he said.
Learn from listening
Vocabulary
- activists (noun): people who take part in activities that are intended to achieve political or social change, especially someone who is a member of an organisation - นักกิจกรรม
- armed: carrying a weapon - ติดอาวุธ
- border: the official line separating two areas, regions or countries - เขตแดน อาณาเขต
- camp out: to sleep outside, with or without a tent or other shelter, to stay in a place without the furniture and equipment that you normally have - ตั้งค่ายพัก, พักแรม
- cite: to mention something as an example - กล่าวถึง
- community: the people living in one particular area - ชุมชน
- guerrilla: of members of a military group that is not official and usually wants to change a political situation. Their main method is to make unexpected attacks in small groups - สมาชิกกลุ่มกองโจร
- hop: move by jumping on all or two of its feet at the same time - กระโดด
- invader: an army, country or group that enters another area by force in order to take control of it - ผู้รุกราน, ผู้บุกรุก
- negotiate: to try to reach an agreement by discussing something in a formal way - เจรจาต่อรอง
- refuse (verb): to say or show that you will not do something; to say or show that you will not do something that someone has asked you to do - ปฏิเสธ
- soil: land owned by a country - พื้นดิน
- territory: an area of land controlled by a particular country, leader or army - อาณาบริเวณ อาณาเขตประเทศ