BANGKOK: A Myanmar junta drone targeting anti-coup fighters crashed over the border in Thailand, the kingdom's military said, prompting an official rebuke over hazardous spillover from the civil war.
Western Thailand regularly suffers ramifications from the conflict that has raged in Myanmar since the military toppled the country's elected civilian government in 2021.
Deserting junta troops, fleeing civilian refugees and desperate economic migrants often make unsanctioned crossings of the countries' 2,400km (1,500 mile) frontier.
Thailand's military said it found the "kamikaze drone" on Monday (July 21) in a forest in Tak Province, 15km inside the Thai border.
"No civilians were injured or killed, and no property damage was reported," said a Tuesday night statement.
"Initial investigations suggest the drone belonged to the Myanmar military and was intended for an attack on resistance forces, but lost control and crashed on the Thai side."
The military statement said a disposal team "neutralised the explosive materials" and a "formal protest" has been lodged about the incident through a border dialogue organisation.
Myanmar's junta and its myriad rebel opponents are both increasingly relying on drones to gain a strategic edge in the civil war, which has now ground on for more than four years.
Myanmar ranks third globally -- behind only Ukraine and Russia -- for the number of drone sorties recorded by monitor organisation Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), according to a report this month.
"The accessibility, ease of modification, and cost-effectiveness of drones enable both resistance groups and the military to achieve military objectives while minimising combat casualties," the report said. - AFP
