Mass jailbreak in Karenni State sends POWs fleeing into Thailand

More than 30 inmates fled into Thailand after dozens of prisoners escaped from a jail run by the Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC) in eastern Myanmar’s Karenni State (Kayah), with authorities recapturing some of the detainees, local sources said. At approximately 1am on January 18, at least 81 prisoners managed to break free from an IEC in Mese Township, near the Thai border, with the help of former inmates now serving as prison wardens. The group reportedly also escaped with nine small firearms.The Interim Executive Council, Karenni State’s local civilian administration, said the prisoners broke out of the facility, with some later shot, others recaptured as Karenni security forces moved to regain control.“There were shootouts during the recapture,” IEC Secretary 2 Banyar Khun Aung told Myanmar Now. “We have been informed that some escapees were apprehended, but the details are not yet clear. All battalions and units on the ground are involved in the pursuit and conducting clearance operations, so information is coming in from many sources.” Banyar Khun Aung did not reveal how many inmates had been recaptured, but he said that of the 81 jailbreakers, only four were held for other crimes, while the rest were prisoners of war. On January 20, Thai PBS, a local Thai media agency, reported that at least 30 Myanmar soldiers had fled into Thailand and are now being held in Thailand’s northern Mae Hong Son Province. Thai authorities told Thai PBS that the unrest in Karenni State prompted round-the-clock patrols along the Thai–Myanmar border, though the whereabouts of the escaped POWs remain unclear.In recent years, intense fighting between Myanmar’s military and Karenni resistance forces has left much of Karenni State under resistance control, with the area widely referred to as a liberated zone.The Karenni State Interim Executive Council was later formed as an interim civilian authority, overseeing administration, development and judicial affairs. After capturing large numbers of prisoners of war, including junta officers, the IEC opened two prisons in 2023 to enforce the rule of law, detaining more than 200 people, nearly 150 of them prisoners of war. To manage legal matters, including prosecutions, fines, and imprisonment, the IEC established a Department of Justice in November 2023. Detainees who fled a Karenni resistance-run detention centre are pictured after crossing into Thailand. Thai authorities said some of the escapees entered the country following a mass jailbreak in Karenni State. (Photo: Thai PBS) Resistance groups in Karenni State say they have tried to model humane treatment of captured junta soldiers, but face chronic shortages of funding, food, secure facilities and medical support. Min Thar, who oversees a detention centre run by the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), told Myanmar Now in February last year, that guarding and caring for prisoners has often forced fighters to share scarce rations, while holding sites remain vulnerable to airstrikes.Conditions have improved since the IEC began providing support in 2024, he said, but significant needs remain despite efforts to ensure healthcare, family contact and dignified treatment for prisoners of war.Khune Sar, deputy head of the IEC’s Department of Justice, told Myanmar Now in August that most detainees were prisoners of war, including some accused of war crimes, alongside civilians held for other offences. He said the council aims to apply uniform standards to all those in detention, adding: “No matter the crime, everyone has a second chance once they are in our custody.”Banyar Khun Aung said the council is preparing to release a statement soon on the escape of prisoners of war. “We did not detain the prisoners of war just anywhere,” Banyar said. “They were held in designated areas and not mixed with the public. In Mese, they carried out certain tasks when needed. We believe this incident is unlikely to cause public concern.” Despite the IEC’s statement assuring the public, concerns have surfaced among Karenni residents over the escape of many prisoners. This month, a series of incidents—including murders, robberies, and the escape of prisoners of war—has left most residents of Karenni State worried about administrative and security conditions, sources say. “This has sparked criticism of weak security and governance,” a local man living in west Demoso told Myanmar Now. “With consecutive murders, robberies, and a jailbreak this month, people are now afraid to go out alone, travel long distances, or move without companions.” Mese Township, east of the Salween River, remains beyond the junta’s control and is a stronghold of the ethnic armed group Karenni National People’s Liberation Front (KNPLF) and other resistance groups, including the KNDF.Comrade Laurine Soe, Joint Secretary General of the KNPLF, told Myanmar Now that the recent escape of over 80 detainees in Mese falls primarily under the responsibility of the IEC.Khune Sar added that the investigation into how the prisoners escaped is still ongoing. An earlier jailbreak at the IEC prison in October 2025 saw six prisoners of war escape while working outside the facility, and they were not recaptured. The latest breakout, however, involved a record number of detainees, sources say. Resistance forces retain full control of Mese and Shadaw townships, while junta troops have since retaken parts of Loikaw, Demoso, Hpruso and Bawlakhe townships in Karenni State. Today, the Karenni resistance is waging offensive operations for control of Pekon and Mobye towns at the Karenni-Shan border. “Our policy is to [eventually] release the prisoners of war,” Comrade Laurine Soe said. “We try to follow their wishes, returning them if they want to go back or making arrangements if they choose to stay.”

Mass jailbreak in Karenni State sends POWs fleeing into Thailand

More than 80 prisoners escaped from a resistance-run jail near the Thai border, prompting armed recaptures, cross-border flight and heightened security patrols

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