TAK, 28 November 2010 (NNT) – Over 1,000 Myanmar refugees have once again crossed over the Thai border to seek shelters in Mae Sot district, Tak Province after an exchange of gun fires between the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the Burmese troops on Saturday night.

The sound of gun fires could be heard constantly during the entire night until morning, forcing over 1,000 Burmese nationals to seek refuge in Thailand. Some of them stayed in a temple, while the rest stayed with their families and friends on the Thai side.

A Burmese refugee said the violence erupted after the Burmese military had received an intelligence report that the DKBA would attack its base. In a pre-emptive strike, the Burmese fired first to keep the Karen army at bay. Most of the refugees said they would return to their homeland as soon as the border tension eased up, expressing concerns over their crops, which had yet to be harvested.

NNT