The Royal Thai Navy has four ships on standby in the Andaman Sea, ready to evacuate Thais from Myanmar if the civil conflict there escalates.
Navy chief Adm Adung Pan-Iam has ordered the Region 3 commander, responsible for the Andaman coast, to deploy two frigates, HTMS Saiburi and HTMS Prachuap Khiri Khan, and two landing ships, HTMS Saiburi and HTMS Mattaphon, for use in the event evacuations are necessary.
The four vessels were ready to pull Thais out of Myanmar if the fighting between the Myanmar government army and resistance forces escalates and puts their lives at risk, he said.
Meanwhile, the situation on the border between Mae Sot district in Tak province and Myawaddy township has eased after a battle in the area opposite Sai Yok district in Kanchanaburi province.
A Thai security source said about 120 resistance fighters captured and set fire to a government military base manned by 20 soldiers on Sunday, after two days of fighting. The smoke and flames could be seen from Thai soil.
The fighting was in the Dawei area, about 10 kilometres from Ban Thai Muang in Sai Yok district of Thailand, the source said.
Reports of injuries and deaths have not been confirmed.