Myanmar soldiers engaged in fierce combat with Karen National Union (KNU) forces throughout the day, resulting in machine gun and unidentified gunfire crossing into Thai territory and striking nine houses. Local residents fled in panic, with four people injured. Thai soldiers fired four 120mm rounds in retaliation and have submitted a protest to the TBC committee.
At 17:30 on 31 Mar 2026 GMT+7, reporters reported that fighting continued since morning between Myanmar's 22nd Light Infantry Division and the Karen National Union (KNU) troops at Min La Pan village, Myawaddy Township, Kayin State, Myanmar, opposite Ban Mae Kon Ken and Ban Huai Mahawong, Mahawan Subdistrict, Mae Sot District, Tak Province, Thailand. Machine gun and unidentified gunfire crossed into Thailand throughout the day, hitting four houses in the morning and five in the afternoon. Four people were injured, two with minor wounds and two seriously.
Montri Suksart, the headman of Mahawan Subdistrict in Mae Sot, Tak, said fighting has been ongoing 24 hours since morning, directly impacting villagers in Village 9, Ban Mahawan, near the Moei River. Residents in the line of fire or risky areas have been evacuated to relatives' homes for safety.
Additionally, joint patrols have been conducted involving local administrative officials from villages 1, 2, 4, and 9 alongside the Royal Thai Army's Ratchamanu Unit and Border Patrol Police 346. The risky areas include villages 4 and 9, encompassing over 400 households. In the morning, machine gunfire struck the home of Mrs. Hom Muangjai-ngern, 67, at house number 215, with bullets piercing the roof and ceiling.
The second house hit was that of Mr. Nisan Supap, 52, at number 161; the third was Ms. Jewalee Muangjai-ngern, 61, at 268; and the fourth was Mr. Kor Muangjai-ngern, 71, at 256. All four homes are in Village 9, Ban Mae Kon Ken, Mahawan Subdistrict, Mae Sot District, Tak. Machine gunfire from an unidentified side struck roofs, walls, and damaged household items.
Reporters visiting Ban Mae Kon Ken in the afternoon noted ongoing fighting with intermittent machine gun and 81mm mortar fire heard periodically. At 15:21, an 81mm mortar round crossed into Thailand just 200 meters from the Moei River, injuring four Myanmar nationals living in Thailand. The injured included an 11-year-old boy, Miw Miya, critically wounded with shrapnel in his right hip and multiple body areas; a 7-year-old girl, Aphiu, seriously injured with embedded shrapnel in her left thigh and both arms; a 13-year-old girl, Yuyu, wounded on her right waist; and a 48-year-old woman, Mae, with shrapnel in her right calf.
Local administrative officials, the Ratchamanu Unit, and Border Patrol Police 346 jointly transported the injured to the subdistrict health promotion hospital before transferring them promptly to Mae Sot Hospital for urgent care.
Colonel Senakan Saengson, commander of the Ratchamanu Special Task Force, visited the affected area in Village 9, Ban Mae Kon Ken, Mahawan Subdistrict, Mae Sot District, Tak. He stated that Thai soldiers responded by firing four 120mm mortar rounds to warn against further incursions into Thailand. He described the conflict as an internal issue within the neighboring country and reported having notified the Myanmar TBC committee to push the fighting line further from Thailand to avoid impacting Thai civilians.
Meanwhile, Major General Maitree Chupreecha, commander of the Naresuan Task Force, revealed that at 16:10, fighting erupted between Myanmar troops and opposition forces near Nila Pan village in Myanmar. During the clash, unidentified gunfire crossed into Thai territory at Ban Huai Mahawong, Mahawan Subdistrict, Mae Sot District, Tak, affecting local residents and injuring Myanmar migrant workers.
Following the incident, Major General Maitree reported the situation to Lieutenant General Worathep Boonya, Commander of the 3rd Army Area, and received approval to fire four smoke rounds as a warning, which was executed immediately after the event.
The Naresuan Task Force confirmed strict adherence to the Rules of Engagement (ROE) and continues to closely monitor the situation.