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Bangkok (AP) —Thailand evacuated hundreds of schoolchildren and scrambled air force jets on Friday after one of the fighters invaded Thailand's airspace in a border bombing. Said that neighboring Myanmar apologized. area.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he did not want to escalate the incident that happened in the Phop Phra district of Tak, Thailand on Thursday. Local governments have evacuated villages and schools in the area. Well school teachers led more than 200 elementary and junior high school students from the classroom to a fortified building in the school yard for safety.
The video obtained by the Associated Press depicts MiG-29 drawing some circles in the Thai airspace above villages and schools before firing on the Myanmar side. Shows what looks like. Myanmar's army has fought the Karen Guerrilla people on the side of the Thai border.
"Military accessories talked to each other, they apologized, our foreign ministries talked. This may seem like a serious incident, but would you like to escalate it? It's up to us. Now we have a good relationship and we can talk, "Prayuth told reporters in public.
He said, "The most important thing is that we have the ability to defend our sovereignty, and we also need to plan for (defensive) strength and modernity in the future. This is not a big issue. "
The Thai Air Force has launched two US-made F-16 fighter jets in the area where Mig-29 was flying. I was dispatched. Thai military officials said Myanmar's jets were providing air support for military ground operations within Myanmar, just one kilometer away from the border. Thailand said more than 500 people went to the Thai side during the incident.
The battle between the Myanmar government forces and the many ethnic guerrillas living in the border area has continued for decades, but has intensified since the army seized power from the democratically elected government in February last year. did. The battle sent a wave of refugees from Myanmar fleeing to Thailand. Then, as the battle recedes, they will be sent back.
