Myanmar rebel group calls for no-fly zone to protect civilians
Myanmar's oldest rebel force wants
international help to establish a "no-fly zone" near the Thai border,
after warning there was a danger of clashes with the army resulting in
civilians being targeted by air strikes.
There has been an escalation in fighting
recently between the army and the Karen National Union (KNU), prompting
thousands of people to seek refuge in Thailand.
About 3,400 people have taken
shelter in Thailand over recent days, Thai authorities said. Thousands more are
stranded on the Myanmar side of the border, waiting to cross.
In a statement released this week,
the KNU warned of a "high possibility" of military air strikes on
civilians.
"These air strikes won't target
military bases but civilian bases as in schools, hospitals, houses and
villages," the head of the KNU's foreign affairs department, Saw Taw Nee,
told Reuters, citing his experience from previous bouts of fighting.
A spokesman for Myanmar's military
junta did not answer calls seeking comment.
The KNU urged the international
community to identify a no-fly zone by seeking an emergency meeting of the UN
Security Council.
Last month, the UN Security Council,
in a rare statement that was agreed by its 15 members, expressed concern over
violence across Myanmar and urged the military to exercise utmost restraint.
International efforts to end the
conflict in Myanmar since a February coup have been limited to diplomatic
initiatives and attempts to exert economic pressure through Western sanctions.
Since the military overthrew the
civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, the Assistance Association for
Political Prisoners (AAPP) has said that more than 1,300 people have been
killed by the security forces.
The military has said the figures
from AAPP, a monitoring group cited by the United Nations, are exaggerated.
The KNU agreed to a ceasefire in
2012, ending an insurgency for self-determination that began soon after Myanmar
gained independence in 1948, but its forces have been clashing with the army
since the coup and it has allowed opponents of the coup to take shelter in
territory it controls.
The latest fighting had been
triggered by the army's attempts to arrest people in the Lay Kay Kaw area, said
Saw Taw Nee.
"They came and checked on the
town which we allow. However, they didn't keep their promise and arrested
people which we totally don't accept," he said.
The KNU said three of its fighters
and 15 government soldiers had been killed in the clashes. Reuters could not
independently verify the account.