Mizzima News

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Surprise raids were carried out by Thai security forces on Tuesday on the homes of several top ranking leaders of the Karen National Union (KNU), an ethnic armed rebel group, in Thailand’s Mae Sot, opposite Burma’s Myawaddy town.

At around 6 a.m. on Tuesday, members of the Thai police and the army raided the residence of KNU leaders including Chairman Saw Tamala Baw and Vice-chairman David Thackerbaw in Mae Sot.

Nan Phaw Gay, editor of the Mae Sot-based Karen Information Centre said, “Relatives of KNU members told us that Thai authorities came to their homes and conducted the raid.”

“It was possibly to search for weapons suspected to be in the possession of the KNU members,” she said, adding that she was unaware of any arrest.

Naw Zipporah Sein, General Secretary of the KNU, told Mizzima that she heard of the raids but did not confirm saying she was not at home during the raid.

But David Thaw, a KNU committee member told Mizzima that the raid might be connected with the recent regional summit in the Thai beach resort town of Hua Hin during the weekend.

“Thein Sein [Burmese Prime Minister] seemed to have pressed the Thai government during the recent ASEAN summit not to allow any opposition to take shelter on Thai soil,” said David Thaw.

During the 15th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit, Thein Sein told his Thai counterpart that Burma will not allow any Thai dissidents to use Burmese territory as bases to attack the kingdom.