Min Aung Hlaing Tightens Grip on Myanmar as 702 Civilians Die and Refugees Pile Into Mae Sot
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 30
Min Aung Hlaing Tightens Grip on Myanmar as 702 Civilians Die and Refugees Pile Into Mae Sot
1 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 30
Summary
Mae Sot is filling with undocumented Myanmar refugees as Min Aung Hlaing emerges stronger after a stage-managed election and a red-carpet meeting with Xi Jinping last month.
Chinese diplomatic backing and pressure that choked some resistance supply lines helped the junta recapture territory, while Russia and China also bolstered the military with training and equipment.
Hundreds of ex-fighters, activists and families in Mae Sot now live in hidden safe houses, fearing Thai arrest and deportation as well as reprisals against relatives still in Myanmar.
A 20-year-old mother who fled 1,000 miles from Sagaing needs 38,000 baht for her son's surgery, underscoring how refugees without legal status are shut out of Thailand's public healthcare.
The UN human rights chief said at least 702 civilians were killed between last August's election announcement and January's close, mostly women and children in air strikes, leaving Myanmar's opposition fragmented and exile increasingly open-ended.