According to KNLA military sources, Thai military forces have detained 22 Myanmar junta soldiers, including a deputy battalion commander, who fled into Thailand following intense fighting at the Seik Bor Bo camp near the Thai-Myanmar border in Karen State. The captured soldiers were part of a military council reinforcement column of over 70 troops that was routed by combined forces of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allied forces.
The battle began on May 27 when KNLA and allied forces launched an offensive against the junta’s Seik Bor Bo military camp. As reinforcements from the military council approached near the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) headquarters at Shwe Kokko village, they were intercepted and attacked by KNLA allied forces. By the morning of May 28, the military council column had been completely defeated, with many casualties and some troops being captured alive, while others fled across the border into Thailand.
Among those who escaped, 22 junta soldiers including a deputy battalion commander were apprehended by Thai military forces after crossing the border. The KNLA military source indicated that it remains unclear whether the Thai military will hand over the captured soldiers to the Myanmar military or deport them back to Myanmar territory. The fate of these captured soldiers remains uncertain as Thai authorities have not yet announced their decision.
Currently, KNLA and allied forces continue their siege of the military council’s Seik Bor Bo camp and guard post near Seik Bor Bo village. In response to their losses, the military council conducted retaliatory airstrikes on the DKBA headquarters at Shwe Kokko village, resulting in the death of one woman and injuries to a child. The ongoing conflict in this border region highlights the escalating tensions between resistance forces and the military council, with civilian casualties continuing to mount as the military responds to battlefield losses with airstrikes against civilian areas.
