Mae Sot: The Royal Thai Air Force dispatched two F-16 fighter jets to intercept Myanmar military Yak-130 aircraft after they were used to drop bombs on KNLA forces near the Thai-Myanmar border. The escalating conflict has led to an increase in refugees, with a total of 377 individuals seeking safety in Thailand.

According to Thai News Agency, the incident occurred at 1:00 p.m. on May 28, 2015, when a Myanmar base deployed a Yak-130 aircraft to release four bombs targeting a KNLA unit located near the multipurpose sports field in Ban Song See Mian, Sookari District, Myawaddy, Karen State, Myanmar. The attack took place approximately one kilometer from the border, opposite Morger Thai Co., Ltd., in Walai Subdistrict, Phop Phra District, Tak Province. Both sides have experienced occasional clashes in the area.

The violence has forced 377 Myanmar nationals to seek refuge in temporary safe zones across Mae Sot District, Tak Province. The breakdown of evacuees includes 318 individuals at Wat Morkor Thai in Village No. 1, Wale Subdistrict, Phop Phra District; 23 individuals at Ban Muen Ruechai Temple in Phop Phra Subdistrict; and 36 individuals at Ban Muen Ruechai Church in Tambon Phop Phra.

The Rajamanu Task Force, along with the Naresuan Task Force and Border Patrol Police 34, is working in coordination with local administrative bodies and Phop Phra Police Station to ensure the safety and humanitarian aid for the refugees. The forces have heightened their patrols and reinforced their presence with additional weaponry as part of an incident response plan aimed at preventing any foreign armed incursion and safeguarding the local population around the clock.

Reporters noted that the Thai Air Force took swift action by deploying two F-16MLUs to intercept the Myanmar Yak-130 aircraft within five minutes of detecting its proximity to the Thai border, specifically within the Phop Phra District, Tak Province.