Tak school forced to suspend classes after heavy fighting in Myanmar
Heavy fighting between Myanmar troops and resistance forces near the border with Thailand has forced at least one school in Tak province to close temporarily.
The latest round of armed clashes broke out on Friday morning between Myanmar’s government troops and resistance forces from the Karen National Union and the People's Defence Force.
The battle occurred about two kilometres from the Thailand-Myanmar border and involved the use of mortar shelling. Explosions could be heard on the Thai side of the border.
The latest round of fighting on the Myanmar side came after resistance forces launched attacks on the government troops base.
The administrators of Thanphuying Wilai Amatayakun School in Tak’s Um Phang district, which is located near the border area, decided to send their students home in the interests of their safety. Many parents were seen arriving at the school to pick up their children.
The school, which provides education from Grade 1 to Grade 12, has 58 teachers and 1,098 students, most of them from the ethnic Karen minority group.
The school director, Sippanon Mang-ana, said on Friday that his school had asked local authorities to provide security inside its compound while armed fighting was continuing across the border.
He said the armed fighting on the Myanmar side occurred about 2km from the border. He quoted long-time local residents as saying that similar incidents used to take place many years ago, but with no serious consequences on the Thai side.
Um Phang district chief Thanpawat Puriwattanametha and other senior local officials inspected the border area and discussed the situation with the Thai security forces stationed there.
