Due to the battle of Lay Kay Kaw Myothit, people fleeing the war in Mae Wah Khi village were evacuated in case they are hit by heavy artillery, according to a refugee.

Lay Kay Kaw is about ten miles south of Myawaddy, Kayin State, bordering Thailand.

The battle between Myanmar junta troops and the Karen National Union (KNU) forces has prompted a serious crisis, forcing thousands of villagers to flee, a significant proportion of whom have fled across the Moei River into Thailand.

Residents of Mae War Khi village and those who came to seek refuge in the village, especially women and children, were urgently evacuated to a refugee camp in Phlu Gyi village 17 December.

A refugee residing in the Flugyi camp told Mizzima that fighting is breaking out in Mae Htee Kalaw, with the KNU surrounding the Myanmar army, prompting the evacuation of villagers.

Fighting broke out in Mae Htaw Talay village near Lay Kay Kaw on the morning of 17 December and the Myanmar Army fired artillery shells at Mae Htaw Talay, according to a source on the ground.

More than 2,000 locals from some five villages in the vicinity of Lay Kay Kaw have taken refuge in the Phlu Gyi refugee camp. Blankets and food are urgently needed.

The source said refugees from Mae Wah Khi village have arrived at Phlu Gyi refugee camp.

Relief workers say there are some 7,000 refugees from the conflict, with 4000 refugees on the Burmese side of the border, and 3,000 refugees on the Thai side, as a consequence of the fighting that began on 15 December.