Gen Ukrit Boontanon said on Saturday (Dec 6) artillery rounds from the fighting between Myanmar government troops and ethnic armed groups had landed in Tak’s Mae Sot district, reports the Bangkok Post.
He said the clashes across the border involved heavy gunfire and artillery shelling, some of which deviated from their intended targets and landed on the Thai side.
Thai military units stationed along the frontier responded under standard rules of engagement by firing warning shots and initiating communication through the Thai-Myanmar border coordination mechanism, he said.
Gen Ukrit said both Myanmar government officials and ethnic minority representatives were formally warned that such violations must not be repeated.
He said Thailand is prepared to engage more firmly if similar incidents occur again.
While no fatalities were reported, Gen Ukrit said preparations are underway to evacuate residents in high-risk areas near the border.
Following renewed battles, which erupted in Min La Pan village in Myanmar’s Myawaddy township on Friday morning, security personnel instructed villagers in Mae Kon Ken and Huai Mahawong in Mae Sot to immediately evacuate.
The fighting, which has been going on since late last month, involves Myanmar military forces and the Karen National Union (KNU), with continuous gunfire and explosions audible from the Thai side.
On Friday, stray rounds crossed the border and injured two villagers, including a 68-year-old man.
Many residents, who had earlier fled to stay with relatives, had returned home only hours before the new wave of fighting began.
Col Narongchai Charoenchai, deputy commander of the Naresuan Force, accompanied by Mae Sot officials, visited affected families and delivered relief supplies.
The injured villager is receiving treatment at Mae Sot Hospital and is reported to be in stable condition.
KNU spokesman Padoh Saw Taw Nee called on the Myanmar military to halt its offensive immediately, saying the use of indiscriminate fire near the border threatens local communities and foreign nationals alike.
He noted that four Chinese nationals were also wounded on Saturday by shrapnel from explosions in Min La Pan.