Thai Residents Flee After Myanmar Air Attack Near Mae Hong Son
Thai Residents Flee After Myanmar Air Attack Near Mae Hong Son
BANGKOK, April 21, 2026 — A Myanmar military airstrike on a Karen National Union (KNU) hospital near the Thai border spilled into Thai territory after at least one bomb landed close to a frontier community in Mae Hong Son province, prompting emergency evacuations, local officials said.
The strike took place on April 20 in Bue So township in Myanmar’s Kayin State, around 500 metres from Thailand’s border opposite Mae Sam Laep subdistrict in Mae Hong Son’s Sop Moei district.
According to local security sources, Myanmar Air Force Yakovlev Yak-130 and Mikoyan MiG-29 aircraft carried out the raid, dropping an estimated nine bombs on a KNU-linked hospital and nearby civilian areas.
Thai officials said at least one bomb landed near Mae Wan village on the Thai side of the border, causing panic among residents but with no immediate reports of casualties.
Troops from Thailand’s 36th Ranger Regiment, stationed near the Mae Sam Laep checkpoint, worked with local authorities to move villagers to safer areas in Huai Kong Kaad village.
The Karen National Union is one of Myanmar’s oldest ethnic armed groups and has fought the military for decades. Fighting has intensified since Myanmar’s 2021 coup, sending waves of refugees toward Thailand and increasing cross-border security concerns.
Thailand has repeatedly reinforced border patrols and opened temporary humanitarian corridors for civilians fleeing clashes, while trying to avoid direct involvement in Myanmar’s internal conflict.
Residents in Mae Hong Son reported hearing loud explosions and seeing aircraft overhead during the attack.
The full extent of damage and casualties inside Myanmar was not immediately known.
The incident follows previous airstrikes near Thailand’s Mae Sariang district, where injured Karen civilians crossed into Thailand for treatment.
Thai authorities said they were monitoring the situation closely and coordinating with military units along the frontier amid fears of renewed spillover violence.
