Troops back in border trade hub

Myanmar junta troops have moved back into a vital border town they were ousted from by an alliance of ethnic rebels and anti-junta fighters this month, military sources told AFP yesterday.

The Karen National Union (KNU) and "People's Defence Force" fighters ousted around 200 military soldiers from their positions in the lucrative trade hub of Myawaddy around April 10, in a major blow to the junta.

The troops withdrew to a bridge that connects Myawaddy to Thailand's Mae Sot town following the clashes, which sent thousands fleeing Myanmar.

Yesterday, "some of our troops arrived at the 275 military command," junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun told AFP, referring to the previously vacated military base in Myawaddy.