Monks flee temples in eastern Myanmar amid intense fighting

This photo taken on January 15, 2022 shows Myanmar refugees, who fled a surge in violence as the military cracks down on rebel groups, walking across the river on the Thai border as pictured from Thailand's Mae Sot district. - AFP

YANGON, Jan 16 (AFP): Hundreds of Buddhist monks fled two major towns in Myanmar, a witness said Sunday, among thousands recently displaced by intense fighting between the military and rebel groups opposed to last year's coup.

A military power-grab 11 months ago expelled civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi's government with mass protests and subsequent crackdowns killing more than 1,400 -- as dozens of rebel groups sprang up to oppose the regime.