Car bomb and gun battle at immigration building on Thai/Myanmar border

A car bomb and a gun fight wreaked havoc in Myawaddy Township in Myanmar last night. The car bomb, suspected to have been left in a pickup truck, exploded at an immigration building near the border with Tak province in Thailand. The remains of the pickup truck suspected of carrying the bomb were found near a border checkpoint.

After the bomb went off, armed anti-government rebels arrived at the building and fought a gun battle with the Burmese troops guarding the building and border checkpoint. After a 15 minute fight, the rebels fled. No rebel groups have claimed responsibility yet, however, forested areas around Myawaddy Township are known to be under control of the Karen National Liberation Army, one of many ethnic groups battling against the Burmese Junta who seized power in a coup on February 1, 2021.

The 4 storey immigration building, as well as some shop houses, were…