Thai Border Villagers Protest Stray Artillery Shells Fired From Myanmar

Demonstrators from four village wards gathered at the local high school to present five key demands to Thai authorities, including an immediate end to the armed conflict across the border.

“Over the past year, ordnance from clashes on the Myanmar side has struck homes and injured residents here. Some people working in terrace farming have even been killed,” said a Myanmar migrant worker living in Mae Ko Kin. “That is why residents are protesting, calling on the Thai government to take action and protect us.”

Protesters called for strict measures to prevent stray fire from crossing the border, financial compensation for affected families, and the construction of bomb shelters for long-term safety. They also urged Thai officials to install an early-warning system to alert villagers to incoming fire and to mediate between Myanmar’s warring factions to prevent further spillover onto Thai territory.

Clashes between the Myanmar military junta and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) have intensified near the border since late 2025, particularly around Hpalu and Minletpan villages, south of the border trading hub Myawaddy.

During the prolonged fighting, small-arms fire, artillery shells, and suicide drones have repeatedly crossed the Thaungyin (Moei) River into Thailand. The stray ordnance has damaged schools, monasteries, and at least nine residential buildings.

The spillover has killed two Myanmar women and injured at least four others on the Thai side, including Thai nationals.

The violence has also driven more than 200 displaced people across the border from Myanmar’s Hpalu, Minletpan, Ingyinmyaing, Lay Kay Kaw, and Hteemeiwahkhee villages to seek refuge in Mae Ko Kin, according to local sources.