Temples no longer safe havens

Seeking sanctuary: 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

Hundreds of Buddhist monks fled two major towns in Myanmar, a witness said, 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.