Burmese fighter jets were seen flying near the Thai border today as clashes continued between the junta and resistance groups in Myanmar.

The Myanmar Air Force reportedly used MiG-29 fighter jets to drop bombs on civilian groups to prevent them from capturing the last military base in the region, leading to fierce clashes at noon. Fighting has been ongoing since yesterday evening in Myawaddy.

Military officials in neighbouring Thailand used F-16 jets to protect the airspace above Mae Sot in Tak province. Soldiers and armoured vehicles were deployed on roads and stationed at checkpoints along the border amid an influx of refugees fleeing the conflict.

The exodus comes as fighters from the Karen National Union, Karen National Liberation Army, and People's Defence Forces raided strategic army camps in Myawaddy, which sits on a supply route with neighbouring Thailand.

The rebel groups claimed they were prevailing over the Burmese army, which reportedly suffered heavy losses as they were peppered with heavy artillery and drone attacks.

They are said to be closing in on the junta's Battalion 275 Phasong Camp in Myawaddy - their last outpost in the region. However, the Mikoyan MiG 29 jets - believed to have been supplied by Russia - pushed back the offensive.

Neighbouring Thailand - also run by an unelected party spawned from disgraced former Man City owner Thaksin Shinawatra - has done little to apply pressure on the junta over its atrocities, which have been condemned as state-sponsored murder.

The Political Prisoners Network Myanmar (PPN) claimed this week that at least 13 political prisoners died in junta detainment in the first quarter of 2024, compared with two in the same period last year. The human rights group said that six inmates were killed by junta forces and seven died after being denied medical care.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told Reuters this week that the country would remain neutral on the conflict - seemingly prioritising a deal that would benefit Thailand economically.

He said: 'The current regime is starting to lose some strength but even if they are losing, they have the power, they have the weapons.

'Now is a good time to open talks with Myanmar as the military regime that seized power in a 2021 coup is weakening. Maybe it's time to reach out and make a deal.'

Myanmar has fallen into civil war following the removal of democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, with a military coup in 2021.

Soldiers responded with barbaric force on protesting civilians leading to widespread condemnation and financial sanctions. Rebel groups and civilian militias around the country have since been locked in a series of ongoing clashes with the ruling military.

Aung San Suu Kyi has since been jailed for 33 years on politically motivated charges and is likely to die behind bars unless the army is toppled - a tragic end the politician hailed by Barack Obama as an 'inspirational icon of democracy'.