Burmese resistance forces captured five army bases as clashes continued near the Thai border.

Footage shows Karen National Union troops planting a flag at the Bayinnaung base in Myawaddy, Myanmar, on May 31 after the encampment fell to guerrilla soldiers.

The stronghold - coveted for its strategic location overseeing the forests around the mountainous region - was successfully captured by the militia on May 30.

The Karen National Liberation Army reported that it had earlier wrested control the Kanere base, also in Myawaddy, following a barrage of drone strikes on the junta garrison on May 28. They seized a cache of artillery used to defend the Bayinnaung camp.

Karen soldiers claimed they have successfully occupied all but one Myanmar army base opposite Thailand's Tak province.

The fighting has sparked an exodus of more than 533 refugees toward the Thai border.

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'.