Thailand says Myanmar apologised for fighter jet airspace violation
- Thailand scrambled F-16s after a Myanmar jet involved in clashes with guerilla fighters in Myanmar violated its airspace
- Local authorities in Thailand’s Tak province had ordered the evacuation of villages and schools during the incident on Thursday
Thailand said on Friday that neighbouring Myanmar has apologised after one of its fighter jets crossed into Thai airspace on a bombing run along the border, forcing authorities to evacuate hundreds of schoolchildren and scramble air force jets to the area.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Thailand did not want to escalate the incident, which took place on Thursday over Phop Phra district in Thailand’s Tak province.
Local authorities evacuated villages and schools in the area. Teachers at Wale School led over 200 junior and middle school students from their classrooms to fortified buildings inside the school grounds for safety.
Video obtained by Associated Press shows what appears to be a MiG-29 making several circles into Thai airspace over villages and schools before firing on the Myanmar side.
Myanmar’s military has been fighting ethnic Karen guerillas on its side of the border with Thailand.
“The military attaches have spoken to each other, and they have apologised, and our foreign ministries have talked. This may seem like a serious incident, but it depends on us if we want to escalate this. Currently the two sides enjoy a good relationship and are able to talk,” Prayuth told reporters.
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He added that “the most important thing is that we do have a capability to defend our sovereignty. We also must plan for the strength and modernity (of our defence) in the future. This is not a major issue”.
Thailand’s air force dispatched two US-made F-16 fighter jets to the area where the MiG-29 had been flying.
Thai military authorities said the Myanmar jet had been providing air support to a military ground operation inside Myanmar taking place just a kilometre away from the border. Thailand said more than 500 people crossed over to the Thai side during the incident.
Fighting between Myanmar government forces and ethnic guerillas, many of whom live in border areas, has continued for decades but has intensified since the military seized power in February last year from a democratically elected government.
The fighting has sent waves of refugees from Myanmar fleeing into Thailand. They are then sent back when the fighting recedes.
The conflict has sparked concern among Myanmar’s neighbours, with a special envoy from regional block the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) beginning a visit on Wednesday to try to kick-start talks between the army and the opposition.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
