DON PATHAN
The Associated Press
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Ethnic Karen guerrillas in Myanmar destroyed the headquarters of a rival group allied with the country's military government, a spokesman for the group said Saturday.
Guerrillas belonging to the Karen National Union destroyed their rival's headquarters about 100 miles east of Myanmar's capital, Yangon, the group's spokesman, Ner Dah, said in a telephone interview.
The attacks against the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army were mounted in revenge for a series of cross-border raids by pro-government forces against refugee camps in Thailand. The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army crossed the border from bases in Myanmar repeatedly this month, burning down two camps and firing mortars at another.
Thailand protested to the Myanmar government over the refugee camp attacks and threatened retaliation against intruders. The military government of Myanmar, also known as Burma, denied responsibility.
In Thursday's raid, as many as 15 people, including some civilians, originally were reported killed and 20 were reported injured. Ner Dah said 70 enemy troops were killed.
``There may have been some civilians killed, but it is not our intention,'' Ner Dah said. ``The four sites that we attacked were military posts.''
The Myanmar government said in a statement Friday that seven women and one man died in the Thursday raid. It said the intruders used heavy weapons and burned down houses.
Most of the 100,000 refugees from Myanmar seeking shelter in Thailand are from the Karen minority. The majority support the Karen National Union, which has fought for more Karen autonomy for 50 years.
