Myanmar’s military junta has promised territorial control to allied armed groups if they help seize key areas in southern Myawaddy Township along the Thai-Myanmar border, according to resistance sources familiar with the situation.
The sources said the military has been encouraging local armed groups with the prospect of administering territory if they succeed in capturing Phlu and Min Let Pan, two strategically important areas in southern Myawaddy.
Several military units are reportedly participating in the ongoing offensive, including battalions under the junta’s 22nd Light Infantry Division, units from Military Operations Command No. 13, and newly recruited conscripts. They are said to be operating alongside forces from the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) Battalion Area 4.
A resistance source based in Myawaddy said the promise of territorial control has encouraged DKBA forces led by Bo Bi and BGF troops led by Bo Mot Thone to commit significant manpower to the operation.
“Our information indicates that the military has promised them control over territory if they succeed,” the source said. “The junta knows it cannot achieve this on its own, so it has brought in local armed groups. Around 300 troops have already advanced toward Min Let Pan.”
The source also disputed reports that the military had deployed thousands of troops to southern Myawaddy, estimating that the actual ground force numbers are slightly above 400.
Meanwhile, junta reinforcement columns have reportedly suffered casualties in ambushes carried out by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allied resistance forces.
According to the resistance source, local armed groups remain motivated by the prospect of gaining territorial influence, particularly along the Myawaddy–Waw Lay road, a major cross-border trade corridor linking Myanmar and Thailand.
“They want to control the border area,” the source said. “If they secure the road, they will be able to establish checkpoints and continue profiting from cross-border trade, including illicit commerce.”
DKBA and BGF forces have previously fought alongside Myanmar’s military in clashes along the Thai-Myanmar border, particularly in efforts to secure major trade and transportation routes.
Military analysts say Phlu, Min Let Pan, and the southern Myawaddy border region remain strategically significant because they serve as key logistics and trade corridors between Myanmar and Thailand, making them important military and economic objectives for all sides involved in the conflict.
Fighting in southern Myawaddy remained intense through the morning of July 8, with small-arms fire reportedly crossing into Thailand and artillery blasts shaking homes in Huai Maha Wong village across the border.
As a result, the Thai military has tightened security along the border and according to Thai media reports is preparing to return fire if additional weapons or munitions land inside Thai territory.
