SLORC, the military dictatorship in Burma, faces resistance from Karen rebels.
MAE SOT, Thailand (Reuters) - Burma's biggest rebel group will soon abandon a stronghold on the Thai-Burma border after weeks of fierce fighting with government and rival Karen forces, a rebel commander said on Thursday.
The Karen National Union (KNU) will adopt guerrilla tactics rather than waste lives trying to defend the base in eastern Burma, KNU Commander Kyaw Ny told reporters by telephone.
"The withdrawal from our 7th Division base does not mean we are defeated. It is a tactical redeployment. We also do not want to kill our fellow Karens in this battle," he said.
Myanmar troops and their allies from the breakaway Karen Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) launched a new offensive against the KNU on June 3, driving some 3,000 Karen refugees into Thailand, the Thai army says.
The KNU has been fighting for independence in the hills of eastern Burma for the last 60 years. The conflict is one of the world's longest running insurgencies. More>>
MAE SOT, Thailand (Reuters) - Burma's biggest rebel group will soon abandon a stronghold on the Thai-Burma border after weeks of fierce fighting with government and rival Karen forces, a rebel commander said on Thursday.The Karen National Union (KNU) will adopt guerrilla tactics rather than waste lives trying to defend the base in eastern Burma, KNU Commander Kyaw Ny told reporters by telephone.
"The withdrawal from our 7th Division base does not mean we are defeated. It is a tactical redeployment. We also do not want to kill our fellow Karens in this battle," he said.
Myanmar troops and their allies from the breakaway Karen Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) launched a new offensive against the KNU on June 3, driving some 3,000 Karen refugees into Thailand, the Thai army says.
The KNU has been fighting for independence in the hills of eastern Burma for the last 60 years. The conflict is one of the world's longest running insurgencies. More>>
