The military regime that took control of Myanmar three years ago has suffered another significant blow, this time along the eastern border with Thailand.

For weeks, troops faced relentless attacks from ethnic Karen insurgents, who joined forces with other factions opposing the coup.

The hundreds of troops stationed in the strategically important border town of Myawaddy have now capitulated.

Myawaddy serves as a crucial hub for Myanmar's trade with Thailand, making its loss particularly impactful.

On Friday, the Karen National Union announced the surrender of a battalion based in the nearby town of Thanganyinaung, showcasing a sizable cache of captured weapons in a video released by their jubilant fighters.

Throughout the weekend, negotiations ensued with the last remaining battalion in Myawaddy, which ultimately agreed to surrender.

This represents a significant setback for the military junta, compounded by recent losses along the Chinese border in Shan State and in Rakhine State near Bangladesh.

The junta has suffered casualties, defections, and surrenders, leading them to resort to conscription to replenish their ranks.

Myanmar's military finds itself increasingly challenged, even facing resistance from militant monks.

The Karen National Union has been fighting for self-rule for the ethnic Karen people since Myanmar's independence in 1948.

However it suffered a series of defeats by government forces in the 1990s, and after 2015 had been part of a national ceasefire.

The 2021 coup changed that, with the KNU announcing that the overthrow of the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi had invalidated the ceasefire.

Because it is relatively close to Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, and offers the best route to the Thai border, Karen State was a favored destination for dissidents fleeing the brutal military suppression of protests after the coup.

The KNU has helped train many volunteer fighters from the cities, who have joined it in renewed attacks on military positions.

The KNU has also been trying to coordinate its operations with those of other big insurgent groups like the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force to the north of Karen State, and the Kachin Independence Army in the far north of the country.

The balance of power in Karen State has recently shifted in favor of the opposition, as a powerful militia based on the Thai border, funded by scam centers and which had been backing the military junta, switched sides earlier this year.

Overstretched by fighting in so many other parts of Myanmar, the military has also been unable to reinforce its positions in Karen State, and it lost control of the main roads to the border.

The junta has responded to these losses by launching more air strikes on the areas now controlled by the insurgents.

Thousands of non-combatants have already lost their homes to the conflict in Karen, and many more are now reported to be moving towards the Thai border in anticipation of continued air strikes in the days ahead.

Noted