(27 Mar 1998) Natural Sound
Karen rebels attacked guerrillas allied with the Myanmar (formerly Burma) military government near the Thailand border on Thursday.
At least 15 people were killed and 20 more injured in the attack, which occurred hours before the Myanmar regime celebrated Armed Forces Day with parading troops in the capital of Yangon.
The Karen Nationalist Union said it was a counterattack to the latest series of cross-border raids by pro-government forces against refugee camps in neighbouring Thailand.
Fires raged at two pro-government camps inside Myanmar (formerly Burma) on Thursday night, following an attack by Karen refugees based in Thailand.
The Karen National Union (K-N-U) said 100 of its fighters staged the attack on its pro-Myanmar Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (D-K-B-A), a breakaway faction of the K-N-U.
It's believed that at least 15 people, including some civilians, were killed and 20 others injured in Thursday night's raid.
The K-N-U claimed the raid was in revenge for the latest series of attacks on their refugee camps in Thailand by Karen guerrillas who support the Myanmar government
The D-K-B-A has crossed the border from bases in Myanmar repeatedly this month, burning down two camps and firing mortars at another.
The K-N-U rebels said they sent the fighters equipped with grenade launchers and assault rifles across the border on Thursday night to attack the military camp - a base for D-K-B-A and government troops.
The K-N-U force struck both the D-K-B-A camp and burned down a D-K-B-A-controlled village and sawmill.
The besieged camp had been an active base for the D-K-B-A soldiers before Thursday's attack.
Increasingly, the K-N-U has resorted to guerilla attacks against Myanmar government forces who have seized their bases and waged an offensive against the group inside Myanmar.
Most of the 100-thousand refugees from Myanmar seeking shelter in the Thailand camps are from the Karen minority.
The majority of the refugees support the K-N-U, which has fought for greater Karen autonomy for 50 years.
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