Myawaddy, Feb 3 (.) Myanmar’s military has intensified operations against Karen armed groups in Myawaddy Township, along the Thai border, in a bid to establish control over vital trade routes ahead of the planned transition to a post-election administration, according to local residents and armed-group sources.
However, a simultaneous mass influx of junta troops into the township has reportedly sparked tensions with the allied Karen armed groups, leading to intensified fighting between the military and the rebel fighters.
Armed clashes have escalated around Falu, about 16km south of Myawaddy, where hundreds of junta soldiers, backed by airstrikes, are attempting to retake strategic ground between Falu Gyi and Min Let Pan villages.
The area is currently held by fighters from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allied People’s Defence Force (PDF) units.
An official from a junta-aligned Karen group said the military’s immediate objective is to recapture its former base at Falu.
Once secured, he said, troops are expected to deploy armoured vehicles and shift from offensive operations to tighter blockades of surrounding areas. Resistance sources reported heavy airstrikes in the area last week.
The junta-aligned faction, the Democratic Karen National Liberation Army (DKBA) is also active around Falu, with its leadership reportedly concerned about losing remaining bases if the military regains full control.
The fighting follows a January 1 announcement by several battalions of the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF), led by commanders including Saw Chit Thu and Saw Tin Win, that they had rebranded themselves as the Karen National Army (KNA), as the faction seeks to distance itself from the direct command of the junta.
The BGF, which split from the Karen National union (KNU) years ago before aligning with the military, has long controlled checkpoints and enclaves around Myawaddy. The junta has since ordered KNA units to withdraw from Myawaddy town by January 25.
At the same time, the regime has instructed the DKBA and the Karen National Liberation Army–Peace Council (KNLA-.) to ensure that the military’s Infantry Battalion 275 in Myawaddy is not attacked again.
Fighters from the KNLA and PDF had managed to briefly seize the base back in April 2024.
Authorities have demanded that the DKBA and KNLA-. submit rosters and photographs of their fighters in the town, warning that any renewed assault on the battalion would trigger artillery strikes across Myawaddy.
Until late January, security in the town had been jointly managed by junta forces alongside BGF/KNA, DKBA and KNLA-. units. As per members of the KNLA-., relations with the military and police have since deteriorated, with allied groups no longer receiving the latitude they once did.
DKBA spokesperson Saw Thri Tuu told The Irrawaddy that KNA troops remain deployed in Myawaddy, while the DKBA and KNLA-. have complied only by submitting personnel lists.
He warned that further pressure from the military could provoke confrontation. “If the [junta] imposes more pressure on us, it will be interpreted as provocation,” he said.
Residents and sources close to the military said reinforcements, including a convoy of around 30 trucks and five armoured vehicles, have entered Myawaddy in recent days.
The goal, they said, is to secure border trade routes up to Min Let Pan before a new administration is formed.
The junta plans to convene a new parliament in March and establish a new government in early April.
The military push was simultaneously accompanied by diplomatic efforts. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing met outgoing Thai ambassador Mongkol Visitstump in Naypyitaw on January 26, just a day after the junta-run three-phase election concluded.
According to state media, the talks focused on restoring cross-border trade, ensuring stability in border areas through bilateral cooperation, and tackling online fraud and drug trafficking along the frontier.
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