Thailand sends Karen refugees back to Myanmar

Thai forces began sending some of the thousands of ethnic Karen villagers back to Myanmar, as seen in video shot by the refugees themselves.

The people had fled across the border after a series of airstrikes by the military in neighbouring Myanmar.

Video shot by the refugees and sent to relief organisations showed people lugging their possessions down sandbanks and back towards the river that marks the border, under the watch of Thai armed forces.

Lines of barbed wire stretched out nearby. As evening drew on, refugees crammed into boats to make the short journey back to the other side.

Aid organisations said up to 2,400 people were sent back from two locations inside Thailand. The status of around a thousand more, who crossed at different places, isn't known.

A spokesperson from the Karen Women's Organisation told the Associated Press that many of those sent back were staying in the open or in the forest as they were too scared to return to their homes for fear of further air strikes.

Earlier in the day, Thailand's prime minister had said that the country didn't want "mass migration" but that it would also take human rights issues into consideration.

The country has sheltered refugees from Myanmar for more than three decades, with around 86,000 still living inside its borders in camps.

Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not comment on the pushback on Monday evening, saying it was still waiting for information.

The weekend air strikes came after the Karen National Liberation Army, which is fighting for greater autonomy for the region, overran a Myanmar army base, reportedly killing a number of soldiers.

They were believed to be the first aerial attacks there for decades.

The insecurity on the border added a new dimension to an already volatile crisis set off by a coup the February 1 in Myanmar.