RTAF planes patrolling Thai airspace above Tak province
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) announced that it has sent two F-16 fighter jets to patrol the airspace above Tak’s Mae Sot district on the border between Thailand and Myanmar to monitor the situation in the neighbouring country.
The RTAF move is in response to the Myanmar military’s sending of Russian-built MiG-29 fighter jets to fight Karen rebel forces in Myawaddy township, about 5 km from the Mae Sot border checkpoint yesterday morning (April 10).
The MiG-29s reportedly conducted air strikes on Karen forces defending the township on Wednesday, with the noise from the explosions easily heard from the Thai side.
The RTAF said that the F-16s, which took off from Takhli Air Force Base in Nakhon Sawan province, will patrol the Thai-Myanmar border to ensure the safety of local residents and protect the sovereignty of the country’s airspace.
No infringement by any Mig-29s into Thai air space has been reported so far, the RTAF added.
Myawaddy township, which was previously occupied by the military junta’s troops, fell to Karen National Union (KNU) and allied forces on Sunday night. More than 600 junta soldiers have reportedly surrendered to the Karen forces who seized seven military bases.
Myanmar’s military regime has allegedly sought permission from Thailand to land a transport plane at Mae Sot airport to pick up troops and their dependents who have fled Myawaddy.
