A Myanmar air force plane dropped six bombs on a border village in Myanmar near the Phu Nam Ron permanent border checkpoint in Muang district on Friday in a second round of airstrikes. No casualties were reported.
The fresh attack occurred at about 8.15am. A K-8 fighter jet dropped three sets of bombs, totalling six, targeting suspected positions of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Brigade 4, opposite the Phu Nam Ron border checkpoint in tambon Ban Kao of Kanchanaburi province.
The fighter jet also opened fire with machine guns. No casualties or damages were reported.
The latest attack follows an incident on Wednesday when three Myanmar air force planes -two twin turbo-prop Y-12s and one K-8 fighter jet – dropped bombs on the Ban Ticki community in Metta district of Dawei, opposite the border checkpoint in tambon Ban Kao or about 1-2 kilometres from the Thai border.
The airstrike forced some 300-400 residents – mostly Myanmar nationals of Karen and Mon ethnicity – to flee towards the frontier to seek temporary shelter on Wednesday. On the following day, the situation appeared to calm with no further air operations reported
The second round of airstrikes has sparked concerns among border communities and Thai authorities.
Thai troops from Lat Ya special task force, paramilitary rangers from the 14th Ranger Regiment, local officials and police from Muang district station were placed on full alert along the border.