Karen refugees in a temporary shelter at a school in Mae Sot district of Tak province are voluntarily returning across the border to Myanmar after fighting between the government and rebels died down, a military source said.
From the middle of last week, a total of 2,676 ethnic Karen people fled across the border into Mae Sot district to escape fighting between Myanmar's 's border guard force and rebels from the Karen National Union (KNU).
The Naresuan Force -- with cooperation from Border Patrol Police Company 346, territorial defence volunteers and administrative officials in Mae Sot -- provided humanitarian assistance by placing the refugees in a temporary shelter at Ban Mae Tao Klang School at Moo 5 village in tambon Mae Tao.
After the fighting ebbed, some of the refugees said they wanted to return to their country, the military source said.
Thai authorities have arranged for them to return in groups of 100-200 per day across the border by boat from Mae Ku Luang and Don Chai villages on the bank of the Moei river.