Myanmar Regime’s Karen Border Offensive Spills Over Into Thailand

Myanmar’s military is pounding a Thai-Myanmar border village with daily drone and artillery attacks in a bid to break through stubborn resistance defenses in Myawaddy Township.

As explosive drones and artillery shells land on Thai soil, authorities have tightened security and issued an urgent safety alert for border residents.

Regime forces began pushing south to Min Let Pan village from the Karen border trade hub of Myawaddy town, 16 km away, last October. However, advancing troops are facing stiff resistance from the the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of Karen National Union (KNU), and its allies.

KNLA-led forces seized Min Let Pan from the regime-aligned Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) during fighting in November last year.

Resistance sources report that regime and allied Karen militias have intensified their assault on the resistance-held territory in the past fortnight, backed by drone and artillery barrages.

“They [regime forces] are firing around 20 shells every day while also relying heavily on drone attacks,” a local resistance member told The Irrawaddy.

He said that approximately 1,000 regime and allied soldiers were advancing on Min Let Pan from four directions—Lay Kay Kaw, the Palu mountains, Mae Htaw Tha Lay, and the Palu road—triggering clashes with resistance fighters.

Locals told The Irrawaddy that a military convoy of 24 vehicles carrying roughly 1,000 more soldiers and ammunition arrived in Lay Kay Kaw town—9 km west of Min Let Pan—on Tuesday morning.

“They are now using their technological advantage [reconnaissance and suicide drones] to probe our position for weaknesses,” said the resistance member. “They dare not use human-wave attacks because they know we have strong defenses.”

The regime’s Karen offensive—spanning Myawaddy, Kawkareik, and Papun townships—is backed by the Bo Bi-led Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (a DKBA splinter faction) and the Border Guard Force under Saw Mote Thone.

Residents say regime forces are bombarding Min Let Pan with air and artillery strikes, causing heavy civilian casualties.

“Shells are landing on houses, killing and wounding villagers and burning homes,” a Min Let Pan resident told The Irrawaddy. He added that while most residents have fled, a small number of male villagers are sheltering at the village monastery to keep watch on houses.

According to Thai media reports, Thailand tightened border security after shells and machinegun fire struck Huai Maha Wong village over the border in Tak’s Mae Sot District on Sunday. Thai officials closed informal border crossings and warned civilians to stay alert.

“The crossings are still closed, and Thai soldiers have taken up positions opposite Min Let Pan,” a villager who fled across the border told The Irrawaddy.

She said displaced villagers had previously been crossing back and forth to check on their houses and buy food in the market on the Thai side. “The border closure will make it much more difficult for war-displaced villagers to access food.”

The Karen Peace Support Network reports that the military carried out 1,461 air, artillery and ground attacks in Karen National Union territory between October 2025 and March 2026, killing 135 civilians, injuring 270 others and damaging approximately 600 buildings.