The army has been holding these areas to fend off attacks by the Karenni Army (KA) and the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), and has also prohibited some 400 local villagers from leaving the areas. A news source said that about 10 villagers who attempted to escape were shot on sight.
The source also said that on Thursday night the Myanmar army at Dawtakae Camp detected movements of KA soldiers and fired 120 mm mortar guns to dispel them. The camp is located near Ban Doi Saeng village of Mae Hong Son’s Pang Mu subdistrict, and was manned by soldiers from Shan State that were earlier sent there to fight off the KA and KNDF.