News Forum - Evacuation drills run for students in Thailand’s border region as violence in Myanmar escalates

[Thaiger]

With clashes just across the border between the Myanmar state military and the ethnic army troops so close bullets are landing on Thai soil, students in Mae Hong Son are being trained on how to escape if the gunfire reaches the school grounds. Soldiers and teachers ran drills over the weekend for students at the Baan Ta Fang school. An 8 metre long, 1.5 metre high shelter is on the school grounds to protect the students. The walls are made of concrete and the roof is made of wood and sand sacks. Food and water supplied in the shelter is […]

The story Evacuation drills run for students in Thailand’s border region as violence in Myanmar escalates as seen on Thaiger News.

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[DiJoDavO]

PM yesterday: Don't worry, they only fight on the other side. There's nothing to worry about, just explosion sounds. 

PM today: Better have some evacuation drills. 

[Shade_Wilder]

 

This article is truly disturbing. In other, better, circumstances, the Thai government would be doing all it could to broker peace in Burma and to get that military out of office and back to the barracks. However, currently, they are "helping behind the scene", if you care to believe that.

It reminds me of the US; rather than act to stop mass shootings at schools, the focus is on 'coping'.

Its 2021, almost 2022. Wouldn't it be nice if kids could just go to school and learn?

Are we still this uncivilized?

Sadly, it is a rhetorical question.

 

 

[Jason]

If the threat is real ( and I'm sure is), wouldn't it be prudent to station troops there. The first duty of a soldier is to protect the lives of it's citizens!! Especially children! Children building bomb shelters?! Plans should already be in place to move children to safe places to attend school, away from danger... or even potential danger! 

[DiJoDavO]

3 hours ago, Shade_Wilder said:

This article is truly disturbing. In other, better, circumstances, the Thai government would be doing all it could to broker peace in Burma and to get that military out of office and back to the barracks. However, currently, they are "helping behind the scene", if you care to believe that.

It reminds me of the US; rather than act to stop mass shootings at schools, the focus is on 'coping'.

Its 2021, almost 2022. Wouldn't it be nice if kids could just go to school and learn?

Are we still this uncivilized?

Sadly, it is a rhetorical question.

They can't do anything against them, becauss they are fully aware that everyone knows, how they got to power in Myanmar is the same way as how the current government in Thailand got to power. If they point one finger towards Myanmar, 3 fingers are pointing back. 

[HolyCowCm]

6 minutes ago, DiJoDavO said:

They can't do anything against them, becauss they are fully aware that everyone knows, how they got to power in Myanmar is the same way as how the current government in Thailand got to power. If they point one finger towards Myanmar, 3 fingers are pointing back. 

There are similarities and that is such of the military always controlling any having hug huge rewards or shall we say receiving the spoils for it.

[Stonker]

1 hour ago, Jason said:

If the threat is real ( and I'm sure is), wouldn't it be prudent to station troops there. The first duty of a soldier is to protect the lives of it's citizens!! Especially children! Children building bomb shelters?! Plans should already be in place to move children to safe places to attend school, away from danger... or even potential danger! 

Not necessarily a good idea - if you base troops in a school you make it a legitimate target.

They could certainly have provided some logistic support and advice in terms of construction, though .

[Dedinbed]

4 hours ago, Thaiger said:

Soldiers and teachers ran drills over the weekend for students

ran drills .! Black & Decker's .?

[Rain]

4 hours ago, Shade_Wilder said:

This article is truly disturbing. In other, better, circumstances, the Thai government would be doing all it could to broker peace in Burma and to get that military out of office and back to the barracks. However, currently, they are "helping behind the scene", if you care to believe that.

It reminds me of the US; rather than act to stop mass shootings at schools, the focus is on 'coping'.

Its 2021, almost 2022. Wouldn't it be nice if kids could just go to school and learn?

Are we still this uncivilized?

Sadly, it is a rhetorical question.

Almost impossible to broker any type of attempted peace accord when one is steeped in a foundation for admiration and assistance towards the decades long regimes. 

Birds of a feather.

[Jason]

2 hours ago, Stonker said:

Not necessarily a good idea - if you base troops in a school you make it a legitimate target.

They could certainly have provided some logistic support and advice in terms of construction, though .

Make it a target? Yeh right....as if the Myanmar military are going to fire upon Thai military! If they do, the response would be more than they bargained for! Prayut might even get re-elected on it!

[Rain]

2 minutes ago, Jason said:

Make it a target? Yeh right....as if the Myanmar military are going to fire upon Thai military! If they do, the response would be more than they bargained for! Prayut might even get re-elected on it!

Oh yeah.....sure.

Thai military Rambo-type tough guys. 

[Stonker]

12 minutes ago, Jason said:

Make it a target? Yeh right....as if the Myanmar military are going to fire upon Thai military! If they do, the response would be more than they bargained for! Prayut might even get re-elected on it!

I wasn't just thinking about schools in Mae Hong Son, but any Thai schools including those in the south where the military and BPP are considered legitimate targets for the separatists, and an isolated platoon would be an easy target.

As the report said, it's not about anyone deliberately targeting the schools and the students, but about "clashes just across the border between the Myanmar state military and the ethnic army troops" so stray rounds are landing on the school grounds ... those could be stray rounds from either side so returning fire on either or both sides would be anything but straightforward.

[oldschooler]

Obvious Solution to any Moron : Temporarily Relocate Schoolkids Out of Danger……  but no…. this drill nonsense.…….no drill will stop a stray bullet drilling a schoolkids head…….

[Rain]

9 minutes ago, Stonker said:

I wasn't just thinking about schools in Mae Hong Son, but any Thai schools including those in the south where the military and BPP are considered legitimate targets for the separatists, and an isolated platoon would be an easy target.

As the report said, it's not about anyone deliberately targeting the schools and the students, but about "clashes just across the border between the Myanmar state military and the ethnic army troops" so stray rounds are landing on the school grounds ... those could be stray rounds from either side so returning fire on either or both sides would be anything but straightforward.

Shades of the Preah Vihear skirmish - 

[Jason]

19 hours ago, Stonker said:

I wasn't just thinking about schools in Mae Hong Son, but any Thai schools including those in the south where the military and BPP are considered legitimate targets for the separatists, and an isolated platoon would be an easy target.

As the report said, it's not about anyone deliberately targeting the schools and the students, but about "clashes just across the border between the Myanmar state military and the ethnic army troops" so stray rounds are landing on the school grounds ... those could be stray rounds from either side so returning fire on either or both sides would be anything but straightforward.

All the more reason to move children out of harms way. Children should always feel safe. 

[Stonker]

4 hours ago, Jason said:

All the more reason to move children out of harms way. Children should always feel safe. 

Agreed, but if you look at the location the KNU / KNLA and the Burmese Army have been fighting in that area of the border for 70 years.

The whole point of these in the border areas is to 'make them feel safe' because other schools in similar locations have them and they didn't.

[Rain]

4 hours ago, Jason said:

All the more reason to move children out of harms way. Children should always feel safe. 

It's all about the children.

Of course it is. 

[Stardust]

35 minutes ago, Stonker said:

Agreed, but if you look at the location the KNU / KNLA and the Burmese Army have been fighting in that area of the border for 70 years.

The whole point of these in the border areas is to 'make them feel safe' because other schools in similar locations have them and they didn't.

It is the Junta army who shot there and not the Karen Army or KNU and they make also airstrikes on civilians and refugees. And don't call the Tamate Junta Burmese Army the Burmese people will not like it you call them Burmese. By the way in the past you were advocating often the Juntas.

[Rain]

All too currently fashionable.

A bit too suspicious.

[Stardust]

49 minutes ago, Stonker said:

Agreed, but if you look at the location the KNU / KNLA and the Burmese Army have been fighting in that area of the border for 70 years.

The whole point of these in the border areas is to 'make them feel safe' because other schools in similar locations have them and they didn't.

The official Burmese Army is the PDF. The Junta is officially not the legal Government and that is by the UN and international comunity registradet. 

[Rain]

There's that term again. 

International Community [whatever that is].

[Stonker]

2 hours ago, Stardust said:

It is the Junta army who shot there and not the Karen Army or KNU and they make also airstrikes on civilians and refugees. And don't call the Tamate Junta Burmese Army the Burmese people will not like it you call them Burmese. 

There have been no reports of any airstrikes on the Thai side of the border, which is what this article is about, and all reports are that any rounds fired are from "firefights".

Firefights by definition involve both sides otherwise they're not firefights.

2 hours ago, Stardust said:

By the way in the past you were advocating often the Juntas.

Completely untrue.

2 hours ago, Stardust said:

The official Burmese Army is the PDF. The Junta is officially not the legal Government and that is by the UN and international comunity registradet. 

Not correct. 

The "official Burmese Army" is the Tatmadaw, regardless of the government and whether the government is recognised internationally or not.

While the UN haven't recognised the military junta as the government neither have they recognised the NUG, at least as yet, and even if they do that still doesn't change the status of the Tatmadaw.

That isn't supporting the Junta, it's simply fact regardless of whether either of us like it (and I don't, FWIW, but that doesn't change how things are).

[Stardust]

20 hours ago, Stonker said:

There have been no reports of any airstrikes on the Thai side of the border, which is what this article is about, and all reports are that any rounds fired are from "firefights".

Firefights by definition involve both sides otherwise they're not firefights.

Completely untrue.

Not correct. 

The "official Burmese Army" is the Tatmadaw, regardless of the government and whether the government is recognised internationally or not.

While the UN haven't recognised the military junta as the government neither have they recognised the NUG, at least as yet, and even if they do that still doesn't change the status of the Tatmadaw.

That isn't supporting the Junta, it's simply fact regardless of whether either of us like it (and I don't, FWIW, but that doesn't change how things are).

Absolute wrong what you write and atellerie was from the tatmadaw and the official burmese army is the PDF because the Tatmadaw is from a illegal government! spread your fake news somwhere else! 

[Stonker]

7 minutes ago, Stardust said:

Absolute wrong what you write and atellerie was from the tatmadaw and the official burmese army is the PDF because the Tatmadaw is from a illegal government! spread your fake news somwhere else! 

Well ... umm ... "atellerie" isn't "airstrikes", but there haven't been any reports of any artillery rounds landing on Thai territory either ...

... and I'm not saying that the Junta in Burma isn't 'illegal' as it hasn't been recognised internationally, but neither has the NUG - and even if they were, that wouldn't make the PDF "the official burmese army" as they'd be a sanctioned militia, as the NUG has described them, not "the official burmese army".

That isn't "fake news", but it's the view of the NUG, and on balance I think I'll take their view .....

https://thediplomat.com/2021/05/can-myanmars-new-peoples-defense-force-succeed/

https://www.myanmar-now.org/en/news/nug-establishes-chain-of-command-in-fight-against-regime

[Stardust]

49 minutes ago, Stonker said:

Well ... umm ... "atellerie" isn't "airstrikes", but there haven't been any reports of any artillery rounds landing on Thai territory either ...

... and I'm not saying that the Junta in Burma isn't 'illegal' as it hasn't been recognised internationally, but neither has the NUG - and even if they were, that wouldn't make the PDF "the official burmese army" as they'd be a sanctioned militia, as the NUG has described them, not "the official burmese army".

That isn't "fake news", but it's the view of the NUG, and on balance I think I'll take their view .....

https://thediplomat.com/2021/05/can-myanmars-new-peoples-defense-force-succeed/

https://www.myanmar-now.org/en/news/nug-establishes-chain-of-command-in-fight-against-regime

Atellerie shells and mortal shells landed on Thaisoil and was from the Tatmataw. Everything is documentated