Hsu/Thant Zin (NP News) - November 7
Artillery shells landing inside Thailand were launched by Bo Da Baw, who resorted to the tactic after failing to make gains on the battlefield, a source familiar with the matter told The Statesman.
According to a Myanmar military statement released November 3, joint KNU-PDF forces carried out cross-border sabotage on October 29 aimed at damaging relations between Myanmar and Thailand, which included firing a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun into Thai territory.
The firing injured a Thai civilian. According to the source, the group responsible was reportedly the Cobra force led by Bo Da Baw, which operates under KNU Brigade 6.
“The military’s explanation was that the 12.7 mm rounds were fired towards Mae Ko Keng by Bo Da Baw’s group. They did so because they were unable to withstand the military’s advancing columns. In fact, this is a common tactic in military strategy. When fighting occurs near a border, armed groups often resort to this tactic. When they cannot prevail, they fire towards the Thai side, forcing the military to pull back. That is how they operate,” the source said.
The source added that as the military advances into the Phlu and Min Let Pan areas, KNU forces have been cornered. Firing machine-gun rounds into Thailand was therefore a tactical move to create an escape route and find a way out of their difficult position.
“To be precise, it was the joint Cobra forces under KNU Brigade 6, Battalion 28. The root of the problem is that the military has not yet launched its offensive at full intensity, while the opposing forces are also in a difficult position and cannot win at present. So, they are trying to buy time. If things remain quiet for about a month, they will have time to regroup and prepare. This is a tactic that has been used before,” the source continued.
According to the source, exiled media framed reports on the KNU-PDF joint forces firing into Thailand to make it appear as though the Myanmar military was responsible.
The Myanmar military issued a statement claiming that anti-state media outlets were spreading false rumors to create fear among border residents and disrupt relations between the two countries. These rumors included allegations that warehouses on the Thai side of the border would be targeted.
The statement also dismissed these online media reports as false and inaccurate.
On the ground, however, the KNU-PDF joint forces are reportedly struggling to withstand the military's intensifying offensive. Consequently, the source claimed, the joint forces deliberately fired machine guns into Thai territory.
“According to the map, the military’s firing positions were not located along the border fence. The opposing forces would have had to fire over the military’s positions to reach the Thai side. The military could not have fired in that direction. That is how the situation stands. If the shots came from their side, they were fired deliberately. The main reason was that they could not win,” the source said.
Located in Thailand's Mae Sot District along the Myanmar border, Mae Ko Keng village was struck by rounds from a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun reportedly fired by KNU-PDF joint forces. –
