Hundreds of civil war victims are treated every day as chaos in Myanmar spreads across the border with Thailand | World news

China, the US and Thailand are reassessing their strategies. Whatever happens, Myanmar’s future is likely to remain fragmented, with no single authority in charge.

The Mae Tao clinic in Mae Sot, a border town along the border with Myanmar, is a harrowing window into a civil war that has suddenly escalated.

In the scorching heat of the early morning, the wards are packed with patients, some with catastrophic injuries.

We walk into a room full of amputees, many of whom have recently been injured by airstrikes and landmines.

Lying on a bed with his stomach held together by a bandage, we meet Maung Maung.

His voice is incredibly strained and he can barely move. He just lost his two daughters. One was two years old, the other fourteen.

“They were hiding in a school. I thought it would be safe. After the bomb I saw the body of one of my daughters torn to pieces,” he says.

Many here say they are too afraid to return to their homeland and that fighting is now a daily threat.

For decades, Dr. Cynthia Maung, founder of the clinic in Thailand, has seen the harrowing side effects of the world’s longest civil war: a brutal clash between Myanmar‘s army and a mix of pro-democracy groups and local ethnic rebel armies.

In recent weeks, however, the number of patients coming to her has almost doubled to 500 per day.

“This is the worst in my time in 35 years here. This is the worst situation,” said Dr. Maung.

As we talk, there are patients of all ages. She is their great hope, but she juggles increasingly complex and desperate cases.

There has been a sharp increase recently in the number of people coming here and being injured by bombs.

The controversial ruling junta is increasingly carrying out air strikes despite major losses. The resistance now controls more than half of Myanmar’s territory.

One of the most symbolic defeats took place two weeks ago in Myawaddy. The small town plays an outsized economic role and is known as the so-called “gateway to Thailand”.

It has long been a flashpoint for many ethnic and pro-democracy groups, but has rarely appeared vulnerable.

Yet two weeks ago, rebels led by the ethnic Karen army took action, stunning observers by capturing the city.

Videos on social media show the army apparently launching an operation to retake it, but their convoy is ambushed, resistance fighters take over their vehicles and send them fleeing.

On top of a hill on the Thai side of the border, the army keeps a close eye on everything. There is a nervousness and tension that has not been there since the 2021 coup.

Read more:
Myanmar junta deliberately bombs medical facilities
The civil war in Myanmar has taken a dramatic turn

Sub-lieutenant Chuchat Farangtong tells me: ‘I thought the resistance groups were well prepared.

“There were signs before they attacked. My unit could see their manpower and their weapons. And there were civilians waiting along the river getting ready to cross.”

Thousands have fled the fighting in Myanmar in recent days alone, many fleeing conscription, driven by an army in desperate need of more men.

Among them is 19-year-old Nyi Nyi, who is now in hiding in Thailand after secretly crossing the border – a terrifying journey that took three days.

“When I was on the run, most of my friends were arrested by the army,” he says.

“They were interrogated and tortured. They trained them for only three weeks and then sent them to the front lines.”

He claims that opponents are being brutally attacked by an army desperate to stay in power: “They starve opponents, put them in stress positions and beat them until they bleed from their ears.”

We asked the ruling junta about his accusations. They did not respond to our request for comment.

Myanmar’s military government has been losing ground in the border area for months, as pro-democracy militias and ethnic armed groups have launched a series of successful offensives.

This was made possible because previously diverse groups came together.

The ruling military government is unlikely to be at risk of being overthrown any time soon, but we have not seen such a shift in years.

That is a challenge for neighboring countries trying to manage their relationship with Myanmar, the creeping violence in the border areas and the exodus of Myanmar’s population.

We went on patrol with the Thai police, who seem to want to play the role of protector and enforcer, with some seeking refuge and others being detained.

They tell us that every day they have arrested up to thirty people trying to enter Thailand illegally.

“I’m afraid the bullets will fly to the Thai side,” said Lieutenant Manop Sivadumrong.

“So we have deployed border police and provincial police along the border to prevent illegal migrants and to help the Myanmar people on both sides if they are injured.”

It is a delicate balance for them and for many other countries – a byproduct of a conflict that many have ignored.

But the international community is slowly waking up.

China, the US and Thailand are reassessing their strategies. Whatever happens, Myanmar’s future is likely to remain fragmented, with no single authority in charge.

And a fragmented state is likely to wreak havoc on innocent civilians and continue to spread across national borders.