Exodus to Thailand continues after fall of key Myanmar border town

A stream of people, some fearing air strikes, queued at a border crossing to flee Myanmar early on Friday, a day after the strategically vital town of Myawaddy near Thailand fell to anti-junta resistance that is gaining strength. The loss of the town robs the junta, already grappling with an economy in free fall, of vital earnings from border trade while strengthening rebel groups such as the Karen National Union (KNU) that led the assault on Myawaddy, analysts say. "I am afraid of air strikes," said Moe Moe Thet San, a Myawaddy resident who crossed to Thailand with her son, who is about five years old.