Myanmar warns Bangkok, poised to strike rebels

Yangon said Myanmar troops would not encroach on Thai soil, but stray fire could cross the border.

Myanmar sealed major border crossings last month and its state-run media have bitterly criticised Thailand. At a news conference in Yangon, the deputy chief of military intelligence said that if Thai troops got involved in the upcoming battle they would face retaliation.

‘‘We want the Thai military to stay away from this,’’ Major Kyaw Win said, adding ‘‘If they give support to the Shan rebels we will have to retaliate.’’ Tensions between the two countries flared last month after Thailand moved thousands of troops to its northern border.

The troops were ostensibly there for a training exercise, but military sources said they were preparing for a strike on Wei Hsueh-Kang, a notorious drug baron who commands a faction of the United Wa State Army, an ethnic Army allied to the Yangon junta. Thailand withdrew the troops after protests from Myanmar but Shan rebels seized the chance to attack Myanmar troops and their Wa allies in the area, capturing four Army camps.

Myanmar says Thai soldiers helped the Shan assault. Thailand denies this but says it returned fire across the border when stray artillery shells from Myanmar landed on Thai soil. Kyaw Win said Myanmar was now preparing a battle to retake the camps.