An international human rights group is condemning fresh ethnic fighting in Burma, and is urging neighboring Thailand to protect refugees fleeing the violence.
Human Rights Watch issued a statement Saturday saying government-backed Karen militias this week have been positioning heavy weapons near the border overlooking a refugee camp in Thailand.
The group says the Mae La refugee camp shelters more than 45-thousand Burmese civilians, most of whom are ethnic Karen.
HRW says hundreds of refugees have fled to Thailand this week from heavy fighting between the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, which has links to Burma's military government, and the Karen National Union.
The KNU is the largest and oldest insurgent group in Burma.
Information for this report is provited by AFP.
