Junta battles rebels in northwest

Seeking refuge: A Thai soldier in protective gear speaking with Myanmar migrants caught in a farm area in the southern Thai province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, bordering Myanmar. — AFP

MYANMAR’S army battled local militia fighters in the northwestern town of Mindat, residents said, to try to quell a rebellion that has sprung up to oppose the junta that seized power in the South-East Asian country in February.

The fighting in Mindat, Chin state, underlines the growing chaos in Myanmar as the junta struggles to impose authority in the face of daily protests, strikes and sabotage attacks after overthrowing elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.