Burma-Myanmar: Thousands flee Laukkai clashes between army and the Northern Alliance rebels
Thousands of people including locals and migrant workers have fled clashes between the Burma Army and the Northern Alliance in Laukkai, the administrative capital of the ethnic Kokang region of Shan State.
People have been fleeing the area since renewed clashes broke out on March 6. More than 20,000 have reportedly fled to border camps in China, and more than 2,000 arrived in Mandalay on Thursday after taking shelter in Man Su Monastery in Lashio, according to U Pinna Nanda, the abbot of the monastery.
“There are more migrants from around the country than Laukkai locals,” he said, adding that local civil society organizations (CSOs) and government officials had provided aid for the people.