Approximately 200 ethnic Karen individuals have fled escalating violence in eastern Myanmar and crossed into Thailand, Thai border officials reported on Saturday.

Clashes have intensified in Myanmar's Karen State—bordering Thailand—where ethnic militias are engaged in ongoing battles with the military junta that seized power in a 2021 coup.

Over the past four years, widespread conflict across Myanmar has triggered mass displacement, forcing tens of thousands to seek refuge in neighboring Thailand.

Speaking to AFP, Major General Maitree Chupreecha, commander of the Thai military's Naresuan Force, confirmed that the latest group of Karen refugees arrived on Friday and Saturday. They fled following bombings and civil unrest just a few kilometers from the border on the Myanmar side.

“Approximately 200 people began arriving yesterday afternoon,” he said, adding that drone bombings targeting junta troops had caused widespread fear among civilians. Many crossed the Moei River into Thailand’s Tak Province seeking safety.

The displaced individuals are currently being housed in a temporary shelter managed by the Ratchamanu Task Force, according to Maitree—a detail also confirmed via an official post on the Thai Army unit’s Facebook page.

Maitree further noted that more civilians may attempt to cross the border in the coming days, depending on how the situation unfolds. Thai authorities plan to repatriate the refugees once conditions improve and it is deemed safe to do so.

Although a nationwide ceasefire was declared between the junta and several opposition groups to facilitate relief efforts following a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake on March 28—which killed over 3,700 people—the truce appears fragile. Residents told AFP that fighting has continued in Karen towns along a major highway connecting to Thailand’s Mae Sot border town.