The Maw Pokay incident, also known as the Maw Po Kay and Maw Pokey incident, was a border incursion where, during anti-Karen operations, the Burmese 44th Light Infantry crossed the Thailand border and skirmished with Thai border guards, resulting in fatalities.
| Maw Pokay incident | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Karen conflict | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
|
 Burma | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Royal Thai Army Ranger | 44th Light Infantry Division | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 100–500 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
 Unknown |
10–15 killed Unknown wounded | ||||||
Incident
editIn January 1984, the armed forces of Burma launched an offensive operation against the Karen National Liberation Army, but met stiff resistance at the base of Maw Pokay, along the Moei River.[1][2][3] In an attempt to break the stalemate a battalion of the 44th Light Infantry, reported varyingly to number between 100 and 500 soldiers, crossed over the Moei River, and thus the Myanmar–Thailand border, in an attempt to either encircle Maw Pokay or attack it from behind.[4][5][6] The Burmese soon came into conflict with the Thai border police, and in the ensuing skirmishes 2 Thai border police were killed, with between 10 and 17 wounded, while the Burmese in turn suffered varying reports between 9 and 15 killed and an unknown number wounded.[4][5][7] Some reports mentioned a Thai armoured personnel carrier being destroyed as well.[6] The entrenched Burmese were ultimately forced to retreat across the border by a combined force of border guards, regular Thai Army soldiers, and Army Rangers.[5][6][8] Some sources suggested the Karens opened fire upon the retreating Burmese forces as well.[8]
Aftermath
editBurma's Ambassador to Thailand Ko Ko Gyi was called to the Foreign Ministry to hear a verbal protest by Thailand's undersecretary of state Arsa Sarasin.[5]
Burma's military failed to take Maw Pokay during the duration of their 1984 offensive.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Dixon, Jeffery S. (2015). A Guide to Intra-state Wars. SAGE Publications. p. 503. ISBN 9781506317984.
- ^ Silverstein, Josef (1990). "Civil War and Rebellion in Burma". Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. 21 (1): 119. doi:10.1017/S0022463400001983. JSTOR 20071133. S2CID 159511062.
- ^ MacDougall, Hugh; Wiant, John A. (1984). "Burma in 1984: Political Stasis or Political Renewal?". Far Eastern Survey. 25 (2): 246. doi:10.2307/2644308. JSTOR 2644308.
- ^ a b Davis, Anthony (1984). "Burma Moves to Crush Rebels". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b c d Hail, John (1984). "Burmese incursion into Thailand reported". UPI.
- ^ a b c Cumming-Bruce, Nicholas (14 March 1984). "Thais call in envoy". The Guardian. p. 10. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ "Burmese incursion". The Honolulu Advertiser. 13 March 1984. p. 13. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Thai troops beat back Burmese". The Age. 14 March 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 2 June 2021.