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But Myawaddy, across the Moei River from the Thai town of Mae Sot, was an especially big prize, given its role as a hub for imports and exports, with $1 billion in trade last year.

The latest clashes were triggered in the morning when the Karen guerillas launched an attack against Myanmar troops who were hiding near the 2nd Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, a major crossing point for trade with Thailand, said police chief Pittayakorn Phetcharat in Thailand’s Mae Sot district.

The clashes, involving drone attacks from the Karen forces and airstrikes by the Myanmar military, had subsided by noon Saturday compared to the morning, but Mae Sot police chief Pittayakorn Phetcharat said he could still hear sporadic gunshots.

They are now fugitives in Mae Sot, on Thailand's western edge.

Across it, tens of thousands have fled since the 2021 military coup, seeking safety in the Thai border town of Mae Sot.