Global Courant
BANGKOK Myanmar anti-coup fighters briefly seized several border outposts after junta-affiliated militias defected and joined the rebels.
Fighting has ravaged parts of the country since the 2021 military coup, with some established ethnic rebel groups training and fighting the junta alongside newer “People’s Defense Forces”.
The rugged Kayah state on the border with Thailand has become a hotspot of resistance, where thousands of pro-democracy protesters have become PDF fighters.
Five border posts in the state, manned by Border Guard Force (BGF) troops, had been subject to “massive attacks” by anti-coup fighters between June 13 and 19, state media said.
Border Guard Forces are made up of former ethnic rebels who now partner with the military in exchange for local autonomy and lucrative business rights.
They are often deployed side-by-side with regular troops.
Communications with a BGF post in Pantain, southeast Kayah, were interrupted for several days, according to the state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar.
Fighters at the BGF post “had betrayed the state and the Tatmadaw (military) by launching an insurgency” and joining anti-coup fighters, the report said, without specifying how many had defected.
According to the report, the defectors had taken weapons and ammunition with them.
Backed by air and artillery strikes, the army had since recaptured the post at Pantain on June 17, it added.
Another BGF post in Sukpaing was recaptured on June 27.
The army had suffered casualties among officers and other ranks, it said, without giving details.
