Myanmar Regime Troops Make Last Stand in Karen Border Town

Intense fighting has escalated along the Thai-Myanmar border over the past week as Karen resistance groups push to seize the regime’s last military stronghold in Waw Lay, Myawaddy Township.

After capturing a nearby regime outpost at Htee Thel Lel village on March 31, resistance units led by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) have encircled the tactical command base in Waw Lay town. The siege has triggered a regime aerial barrage as the military attempts to defend the position, according to resistance sources.

Waw Lay borders Phop Phra District in Thailand’s Tak province and sits roughly 71 kilometers south of the Thai-Myanmar trading hub of Myawaddy. Its fall would deal a major blow to the regime’s ongoing push south from Myawaddy to reclaim border territory.