Myanmar’s military claimed on Wednesday to have recaptured a town on the Thai border, expanding the frontier trade crossings it claims to control in the grinding civil war.
The southern Myanmar border town of Mawtaung is a relatively minor trading post, transiting $26.7 million of freight in the 2023-24 financial year, according to Myanmar official statistics.
But its capture would represent another boost for the military, adding to a string of recent victories against ethnic minority armies and pro-democracy guerrillas it has warred with since staging a 2021 coup.
Myanmar state media said the military lost control of Mawtaung in Tanintharyi region in November, but retook it on Tuesday after a two-week counter-offensive.
The battle included more than 200 “major and minor clashes”, killing at least 24 opposition fighters, according to The Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper.
Some military members “also heroically sacrificed their lives”, it said, without specifying the death toll.
“Cross-border trade flows and transport activities between the two countries via the Tanintharyi-Mawtaung route will be able to resume,” added the newspaper.
Civil war has engulfed Myanmar since the military coup five years ago deposed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, ending a decade-long experiment with democracy.
