Myanmar rebels target stranded junta troops near Thai border

(Reuters) -- Fighting raged at Myanmar's eastern frontier with Thailand on Saturday, witnesses, media and Thailand's government said, forcing about 200 civilians to flee as rebels pressed to flush out junta troops holed up for days at a bridge border crossing.

Resistance fighters and ethnic minority rebels seized the key trading town of Myawaddy on the Myanmar side of the frontier on April 11, dealing a big blow to a well-equipped military that is struggling to govern and is now facing a critical test of its battlefield credibility.

Three witnesses on the Thai and Myanmar sides of the border said they heard explosions and heavy machine gun fire near a strategic bridge late on Friday and into early Saturday.

Several Thai media outlets said about 200 people had crossed the border to seek temporary refuge in Thailand.

Thai broadcaster NBT tweeted on X that resistance forces used 40-millimeter machine guns and dropped 20 bombs from drones to target an estimated 200 junta soldiers who retreated from a coordinated rebel assault on Myawaddy and army posts that began on April 5.

Reuters could not immediately verify the reports, and a Myanmar junta spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said he was closely monitoring the unrest and his country was ready to provide humanitarian assistance if necessary.

"I do not desire to see any such clashes have any impact on the territorial integrity of Thailand, and we are ready to protect our borders and the safety of our people," he said on X. He made no mention of refugees.

Myanmar's military is facing its biggest challenge since first taking control of the former British colony in 1962, caught up in multiple, low-intensity conflicts and